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Chapter 3 Lesson 2
The First Civilization
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Sumer had a complex society and culture.
Historians condor it the first civilization.
Sumerian city-states were a form of government
that included cities and the land around them.
Priests were the first leaders in Sumer, but kings
became leaders when the need for defense grew.
The Rise of Civilization
Villages gradually (slowly) grew into cities
City leaders had to start organizing workers to
solve problems such as building and cleaning
irrigation canals
Society and culture became more complex
The Rise of Civilization
The cities began to become a more advanced form
of culture called civilization
civilization: a human
society with an advanced
level or development in
social and political
organization and in the
arts and sciences
The Rise of Civilization
Most historians think the first civilization rose in
3300 B.C.E. in Sumer, a region in southern
Mesopotamia
Sumer: an ancient region
of southern Mesopotamia
in which civilization
arose around 3300 B.C.E.
Other Terms to Know
Mesopotamia: the overall REGION we are
learning about that is between the Tigris and
Euphrates rivers (it’s like saying “America”)
Sumer: the specific area we are learning about
that exists inside of Mesopotamia (it’s like saying
“California”)
Sumerian: an adjective used to describe
something from Sumer (it’s like saying
“Californian”)
Traits of Civilization
First traits characterize a settlement as a
“civilization”
1. advanced cities
2. specialized workers
3. complex institutions
4. record keeping
5. advanced technology
Traits of Civilization
1. advanced cities
cities started as a place to live where
people could store their surplus grain
cities grew and began to offer other
advantages and new, advanced, things
to do
cities offered a place to trade with
other people
cities had places like temples, where
people could worship
Traits of Civilization
2. specialized workers
a surplus of food meant that not every single
person had to farm every single day
people could do jobs that required other
special skills
building homes, making jewelry, sewing
clothes, making pottery
some people took on the job of organizing
the workers - in Sumer, the priests did that
job
Traits of Civilization
3. complex institutions
religion and government became institutions
institution: a group of people who have a
specific purpose
for example
schools are institutions with the purpose of
educating people
an army is an institution that exists to protect
society
Traits of Civilization
4. record keeping
societies have to keep track of some things
measure food supplies
records are usually written down
Mesopotamians started using wooden
counting sticks
later, they invented the first system of
writing
Traits of Civilization
5. advanced technology
societies advance (get better) as people learn
new ways to do things
the people of Sumer learned to use canals
they also created new tools out of new materials
began to make tools out of bronze (a mixture
of copper and tin)
bronze was harder than copper, which had
been used before
Discussion Question
Why was Sumer a
good example of a
civilization?
Sumerian City-States
Although cities became centers of trade,
education and religion…
Most people still lived outside of the cities in
rural (country) settlements
Over time, the cities began to rule over the
surrounding lands and villages, too
These became known as city-states
city-state: a political unit that includes a city and
its nearby farmlands
Sumerian City-States
a Sumerian city-state might have between 10,000
and 100,000 people
Laguna Beach: 23,250
Orange County: 3.1 million
California: 38.3 million
United States: 316.1 million
The World: 7.125 billion
Sumerian City-States
By 3000 B.C.E., Sumer had at least 12 city states
Some well-known ones: Kish, Nippur, and Ur
Located near the most fertile lands
Homes were made of thick mud walls to keep out
the heat
tunnels brought fresh air into the houses
a series of rooms surrounded a courtyard
the courtyard was covered with beams and palm
leaves
Sumerian City-States
One building in each city-state would stand out
among the rest
This largest and most important building was
the temple, known as a ziggurat
The first ziggurats were built in about 2200
B.C.E.
ziggurat: an ancient Sumerian or Babylonian
temple that rose in a series of steplike levels
The Laguna Niguel Federal Building
(near the Heather Ridge Costco)
The Jaguar at Knott’s Berry Farm
(actually a MesoAmerican step pyramid, but very similar!
Sumerian City-States
a ziggurat was not just a temple
also, the center of city life, sort of like a city or
town hall
people came to the ziggurat to pay the priests
for their services with grain or other items
priests controlled the storage & distribution of
surplus grain
Sumerian Religion
Sumerians were polytheistic, or believed in many
gods and goddesses
polytheism: a belief in many gods or goddesses
(as opposed to monotheism, which is the belief
in one god)
They had four or five main gods
Each city-state had its own god
They also had thousands of other, lesser gods
Sumerian Religion
Sumerians thought of the gods as rich land owners,
and the people of Sumer were there to work for the
gods
They believed that the gods could prevent troubles
such as floods, droughts, and invasions
Priests worked to satisfy the gods and claimed to
have influence on them
People accepted the priests as leaders
Everyone took part in rituals at the ziggurat to
please the gods
Sumerian Religion
Sumerians believed the souls of dead people went
to “the land of no return”
a gloomy place that was also called the
underworld
some historians think that because their life was
hard, they expected the afterlife to be hard too
New Leaders in Sumer
By about 3000 B.C.E., the Sumerian city-states
were getting more rich and powerful
Other groups began to attack them to try to take
their wealth
sometimes other city-states attacked…
sometimes civilizations from other regions
During times of war, a powerful man would be
asked to help and lead the entire city-state
New Leaders in Sumer
At first, these leaders would be in control only
during a war
Eventually, these men would take control fulltime and even took over duties from the priests
In time, this new ruler became a king
king: the highest-ranking leader of a group of
people
the area ruled by a king is a kingdom
Sumer was a kingdom under the rule of one king
by 2375 B.C.E.
Lesson Summary
Sumer had a complex society and culture.
Historians condor it the first civilization.
Sumerian city-states were a form of government
that included cities and the land around them.
Priests were the first leaders in Sumer, but kings
became leaders when the need for defense grew.
Review Questions
1. Why are food surpluses necessary for
civilization to develop?
Review Questions
2. In what way did the ziggurat function like
city hall?
Review Questions
3. What did people in Sumer think their gods
were like?
Review Questions
4. Why was a priest’s job so important in
Sumer?
Review Questions
5. How did warfare change the government
in Sumer?