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Ancient Sumer
One of the first groups of people that settled together that we know about emerged
between 3500 and 3000 BCE in Mesopotamia. Mesopotamia is located in what is know as the
Fertile Crescent, an area of land in the Middle East surrounded by two rivers. The people were
the Sumerians. The climate was harsh. Summers were hot and dry, but the spring brought too
much rain which caused yearly flooding of the rivers. The Sumerians had to learn how to build
reservoirs to save the flood water, as well as irrigation systems to direct water out of the fields
during the dry summers.
Not only did the Sumerians learn to manage their precious water, but they also developed
technological breakthroughs like the wheel and the plow. They also invented the sail for ships,
which they used to trade goods with other civilizations. Another invention was a system of
measurement based on the number 60, and they used arithmetic and geometry to survey the
fields. New kinds of foods were introduced such as dates, figs, and olives. These improvements
in agriculture meant that farmers produced more than they could eat. This made them able to
store a surplus of food and goods.
By about 3500 BCE the farming settlements grew into city states. City states were
independent of each other and had a city with groups of houses. These houses were made of
mud brick. Around each city was farmland. Each city state had surrounded by a natural
boundary, such as a river, or a brick wall for protection. At Sumer’s height in 2500 BCE it had
12 bustling city states. Everyone who lived there spoke the same language, shared customs, and
worked together to meet basic needs.
Each city state had its won ruler as well as laws and an army. Sumerian rulers and
soldiers were very important in Sumerian life and were therefore highly respected members of
the community. Unlike Ancient Egypt where the Pharaoh had total control over all Egyptians,
Sumer did not have a central government. This caused a lot of conflict between city states.
Wars over land and water rights were common. For example, Ur fought Erech for many years to
gain control of the lower Euphrates River.
Also important were scribes, or the people who could write. The Sumerians developed
cuneiform, which is a system of writing that uses pictures to represent certain objects. Writing
had a huge effect on Sumerian life. They could now keep records of all the activities in the
empire. After 3000 BCE much of the Sumerian history, including wars between city states, can
be learned about by reading their own words.