Download Ancient Mesopotamia: Sumerian Achievements Note Guide

Name ________________________________________________________________ Period _________ Date ___________
Ancient Mesopotamia: Sumerian Achievements Note Guide
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Perhaps the most important new invention was _____________________
o Cuneiform –
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Writing was originally ___________________
o Pictographs –
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____________ was originally created to keep track of ____________ records
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Writing was always done by a ________________
o Scribe -
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Becoming a __________ was a way to move ______ in social class
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The _________________ wrote some of the world’s first _________
o Epic –
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Sumerians invented the following:
o _______________________
o _______________________
o _______________________
o _______________________
o _______________________
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The Sumerians based their _________________ system on ______
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The Sumerians figured out how to find the area of _____________ and ____________
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The Sumerians made a ____-month _______________
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Sumerians named ______________ of plants, ________________, and minerals
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Sumerians produced some of the world’s first _________________
o Also performed ______________
o Architecture –
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Designed large _______________ and _________________
o Ziggurat –
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Sumerians are also well known for their _____________ ___________
Name ________________________________________________________________ Period _________ Date ___________
Ancient Mesopotamia: Sumerian Achievements Note Guide*

Perhaps the most important new invention was _____________________
o ________________ - The world’s first writing system (invented by the Sumerians)
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Writing was originally ___________________
o _______________ - Picture Symbols
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Writing was originally created to keep track of ____________ records
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Writing was always done by a ________________
o ______________ - Writer
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Becoming a __________ was a way to move up in social class
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The _________________ wrote some of the world’s first epics
o _____________ - A long poem that tells the story of a hero
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Sumerians invented the following:
o _______________________
o _______________________
o Water clock
o _______________________
o Bronze tools and weapons
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The Sumerians based their number system on ______
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The Sumerians figured out how to find the area of _____________ and triangles
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The Sumerians made a 12-month _______________
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Sumerians named thousands of plants, ________________, and minerals
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Sumerians produced some of the world’s first _________________
o Also performed ______________
o __________________ - The science of building
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Designed large palaces and _________________
o _______________ - A pyramid shaped temple tower
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Sumerians are also well known for their _____________ ___________
Name ________________________________________________________________ Period _________ Date ___________
Ancient Mesopotamia: Sumerian Achievements Note Guide**
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The Sumerians invented many things that were passed onto other civilizations
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Perhaps the most important new invention was writing
o Cuneiform – The world’s first writing system (invented by the Sumerians)
o Sumerians wrote on clay tablets with a sharp tool called a stylus
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Writing was originally pictographs
o Pictographs – Picture Symbols
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Writing in symbols is much more complicated
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Writing was originally created to keep track of business records
o Writing was always done by a scribe
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Scribe - Writer
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Becoming a scribe was a way to move up in social class
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Eventually writing was done for laws, history, math, grammar, and literature
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The Sumerians wrote some of the world’s first epics
o Epic – Long poem that tells the story of a hero
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The Epic of Gilgamesh
Sumerians invented the wheel
o Used it for wheeled vehicles (carts and wagons)
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Sumerians invented the plow
o Made farming a lot easier
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Sumerians invented a water clock to tell time
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Sumerians built sewers and bronze tools/weapons
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The Sumerians based their number system on 60
o 60 minutes, 60 seconds
o 360 degrees in a circle
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The Sumerians figured out how to find the area of rectangles and triangles
o For farming fields
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The Sumerians made a 12-month calendar
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Sumerians named thousands of plants, animals, and minerals
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Sumerians produced some of the world’s first medicines
o Also performed surgeries!
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Sumerians recorded much of their medical knowledge on their clay tablets
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Sumerians were very good artist and architects
o Architecture – The science of building
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Designed large palaces and ziggurats
o Ziggurat – Pyramid-shaped temple tower
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Artists made sculptures out of ivory and rare wood
o Mainly statues of gods
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Sumerians are also well-known for their cylinder seals
o Showed ownership and property