Sumerians: The Great Civilization of Ancient Mesopotamia

By History Titans

The Sumerians were a civilization of firsts, sowing the seeds of human heritage and legacy that would serve as the building blocks of subsequent civilizations
Apart from being generally considered the first developed civilization in human history, the Sumerians were first in many other important ways. In fact, Sumer was the fountainhead of what some scholars refer to as "the thirty-nine firsts." These civilizational breakthroughs included educational institutions and professions as we know them today, the functional wheel incorporated into a vehicle, the first libraries, aquariums, organized religion, forms of democracy, and much else. The Sumerians were also the creators of the oldest known piece of literature, which is the famous Epic of Gilgamesh.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Creek Ridge Publishing
• Release date: Feb 25, 2022
• ISBN: 9798201780142

History Titans

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Sumerians

The Great Civilization of Ancient Mesopotamia

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Table of Contents

Introduction

Chapter 1: The Cradle of Civilization

The Early Ubaid Period

The Consolidation of Civilized Society

Chapter 2: The Uruk Period

The Period of Sumerian Emergence

Later Uruk and Jemdet Nasr

Chapter 3: The Early Dynastic Period

The Early Dynastic Period I

The Early Dynastic Period II

The Early Dynastic Period III

Chapter 4: The Akkadian Empire

The Rise of Sargon

Sargon's Successors and the Decline of Akkad

Chapter 5: The Gutian Period, Later Dynasties, and Decline

The Gutian Period

The Ur III Period and Sumerian Contributions

Chapter 6: Economy and Other Aspects

Food Production

Economy

Art and Architecture

Chapter 7: Sumerian Language

History and Discoveries

Basics of Sumerian Writing and Dialects

Chapter 8: Sumerian Society

Society and Family

Religion

Government

Conclusion

Resources

Introduction

Mesopotamia's reputation as the cradle of civilization is owed to the Sumerians, a people of mysterious origins and unprecedented historical impact. Of course, the Sumerians can hardly be seen as a people or nation in the sense that we understand today, but they were certainly bound together by the civilizational processes that took place in Sumer and Mesopotamia as a whole, as well as by language and other aspects of their identity. Made up of neighboring city-states for much of their history, the Sumerians spanned across southern Mesopotamia, exerting substantial influence on all the regional cultures they came in contact with.

The Sumerians were a civilization of firsts, sowing the seeds of human heritage and legacy that would serve as the building blocks of subsequent civilizations, including many inventions that we take for granted today. This civilization, which existed roughly between 4500 and 1900 BC, was the first civilization in ancient Mesopotamia and most likely the entire world. Some of the oldest among the famous Sumerian city-states might have been permanently settled by the first agricultural societies up to 10,000 years ago.

Apart from being generally considered the first developed civilization in human history, the Sumerians were first in many other important ways. In fact, Sumer was the fountainhead of what some scholars refer to as the thirty-nine firsts. These civilizational breakthroughs included educational institutions and professions as we know them today, the functional wheel incorporated into a vehicle, the first libraries, aquariums, organized religion, forms of democracy, and much else. The Sumerians were also the creators of the oldest known piece of literature, which is the famous Epic of Gilgamesh.

Sumer, which comprises southern Mesopotamia in present-day Iraq and Kuwait, was given its name by the Akkadian neighbors to the north. In the Akkadian language, Sumer means the land of the civilized kings, referring to the multiple city-states that flourished in Sumer over the millennia. Sumer was also referenced in the Bible's Book of Genesis as Shinar, while the Sumerians simply called it the land in their own language. Because they called themselves the black-headed people, they sometimes also called Sumer the land of the black-headed people.

The Sumerians were also responsible for legends, myths, and tales that would become adopted and integrated into many subsequent traditions around the world, one example was the idea of a great flood. These deeply religious and highly organized people were established primarily as numerous city-states around the rivers Tigris and Euphrates, the most famous were Uruk, Ur, Lagash, Eridu, and others. The city-states of Sumer functioned independently of one another while maintaining constant communication, leading to cooperation, exchange of ideas, trade, diplomacy, and war.

Nonetheless, these city-states can be seen as closely affiliated and a part of an overarching civilization. The Sumerian language, religion, and many other aspects of life and organization connected