Download Sumer

Geography
• Located within the Fertile Crescent
– A band of fertile land stretching from the
Mediterranean Sea & the Persian Gulf
• In between the Tigris & Euphrates Rivers
• Mesopotamia – Greek for “the Land
Between Two Rivers”
8 Basic Features Applied to Sumer
Cities:
• Made up of city-states
– Babylon
– Ur
• birthplace of Abraham
• first founded around 6200 years ago
• buildings were constructed of clay bricks
Government:
• Each city-state had its own ruler
– Seen as a servant of the gods
• Scribes kept records
Writing:
Cuneiform
Art & Architecture
• Each city had a ziggurat – a pyramid-like
temple
Religion
• Polytheistic
• Believed that gods & goddesses behaved
like ordinary people
• Gods & goddesses favored truth & justice
but were also responsible for violence &
suffering
• Prayed & offered sacrifices on the
ziggurats
• Believed in an afterlife – very grim place
Public Works
• Maintain city walls & irrigation ditches
• Repair roads & bridges
Job Specialization
• Religious & government officials, scribes, merchants,
artisans (weavers/carpenters), farmers, slaves
Social Classes
• Social hierarchy – system of ranks
Ruling Family
Leading Officials, High Priests
Lesser priests, scribes, merchants, artisans
Farmers
slaves