Download The Sumerians

Traits of a Civilization to
accompany that rise of city-states
 Specialization of labor (from surplus of
food)
 Record keeping with a written language
 Complex institutions – government, social
hierarchy, religion
 Trade & technology
 Advanced cities
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The Sumerians
Unit 1
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The Fertile Crescent
 Parts of Israel,
Jordan, Lebanon,
Turkey, Syria, and
Iraq
 Tigris and Euphrates
Rivers
 Eastern part was
called Mesopotamia
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Tigris & Euphrates Rivers
 Did not provide a regular
supply of water, but flooded
often
 Caused destruction –
swept away villages &
fields
 Mesopotamians
cooperated to control
floodwaters – built dams,
escape channels, canals, &
ditches
 Hardly any rain in summer
– led to water shortages
 Easy to invade – led to
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Sumerian Civilization
 Came from Central Asia
or Asia Minor (were IndoEuropeans)
 Settled in the lower part of
Fertile Crescent – a.k.a.
Sumer
 Birthplace of cities
 Created 12 city-states

Including Ur, Uruk, & Eridu
 Science: astronomy,
calendar (aided
agriculture)
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Sumerian City-States
 Population ranged from
20,000 to 250,000
 Shared a common
culture
 Built ziggurats for
religious purposes –
dedicated to chief deity
of the city
 Trading contacts with
Mesopotmia
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Sumerian Government
 Competition for land
and water rights with
foreign invaders led
to the development
of a monarchy (king)
 King was a religious
& political leader
 King enforced law
and set penalties
(usually a fine)
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Sumerian Culture
 Men and women had
different roles
 Men – could sell wife and
children to pay a debt;
could divorce easily
 Women – could buy and
sell property; operate own
businesses; own slaves
 Developed cuneiform – 1st
writing system in the world

Epic poem – Gilgamesh story of a
godlike man who performs heroic
deeds
 Invented fertilizer & silver
money
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Sumerian Culture
 Practiced polytheism
 Most were farmers
 Had one chief god for each
city-state
 Gods were unpredictable,
angry, & selfish
 Invented wagon wheel,
arch, potter’s wheel
 Developed a number
system based on 10,60, &
360 (for degrees in circles)
and 12 month lunar
calendar
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Famous Leaders
 Sargon I – built the
Akkadian Empire by
uniting all of the
Mesopotamian citystates (predated
Egypt)
 Hammurabi –
completed a law
code of 282 sections
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Hammurabi’s Law Code
 Dealt with most
aspects of daily life
 Penalized
wrongdoers with an
“eye for an eye, and
a tooth for a tooth”
approach
 Protected the less
powerful & property
 Laws varied
according to class
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