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Ancient Mesopotamia
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Sumer
• Region in southern Mesopotamia
• Sumerians made some of the 1st wheeled
vehicles
• Made simple machines
– Pottery Wheels
• Explored new ideas in math & science
• Invented a system of writing
Cuneiform
• System of writing
invented in Sumer
• Appeared around
3500 B.C.
• Developed to record
farm surplus
• 500 signs used
regularly
School in Sumer
• It was an honor to go to school
• Boys and very rarely girls learned to be
scribes
• Scribes also studied mathematics
City-States of Sumer
• City-state  a self governing city that
also governs surrounding villages.
• City-States in Sumer
http://home.cfl.rr.com/crossland/mesopotamia_map.gif
– Ur
– Uruk
– Eridu
Living in a Sumerian City
• City-states went to war
– To gain control of precious river water
• City gates were built
for protection
• King’s palace could be
seen from anywhere
• Ziggurat stood in the center of the city.
– Large building with a temple on top
http://home.earthlink.net/~valis2/sumer.html
Religion in Sumer
• Polytheism -> the belief in many gods
• Ziggurat located in center of city
– Indicates religion was important
• Each city-state had a special god
• Example of Sumerian Gods
– Ishtar – goddess of love & war
– Enki – god of water
http://home.earthlink.net/~valis2/sumer.html
Uniting the City-States
• Sargon – king of Kish
– United the citystates of Sumer
• Expanded the
empire north
• Traded with seafaring people
• Cuneiform spread
through the Fertile
Crescent.
http://www.livius.org/a/1/mesopotamia/sargon_louvre.JPG