THE SUMERIANS THE WORLDS FIRST CIVILIZATION BIRTH OF

THE SUMERIANS THE WORLD’S FIRST CIVILIZATION

BIRTH OF A CIVILIZATION Nearly all of the world’s major civilizations began near a river n Why? n Water n Food (fish or crops) n Transportation n

WHAT INGREDIENTS ARE NEEDED TO FORM A CIVILIZATION? CITIES n GOVERNMENT n RELIGION n JOB SPECIALIZATION n SOCIAL CLASSES n PUBLIC WORKS n ART AND ARCHITECHTURE n WRITING n

CONTROLLING THE WATER Property and crops could be destroyed by floods or drought n Built dams, canals, ditches, reservoirs n Lead to a surplus n Surplus- having more than you need n

SPECIALIZATION ARRANGEMENT WHERE EACH WORKER SPECIALIZES IN A PARTICULAR JOB n ART, WRITING, LANGUAGE, EDUCATION, ARCHITECTURE n

THE SUMERIANS Lived in Sumer n 3000 BC n Mostly agricultural n Had major cities of maybe 100, 000 people n

CITY-STATE n A central city and all the countryside around it.

OTHERS KISH n URUK n UR n

UR

RELIGION Polytheism- belief in many gods n Priests one of the highest-class citizens n

MEN AND WOMEN MEN- politics and laws n WOMEN- household and children n 1 st female writer= Enheduanna n

ACHIEVEMENTS CUNEIFORM- WEDGE- SHAPED WRITING n THE WHEEL- ALSO FOR POTTERY n SEWERS n MAKE-UP/ JEWELERY (GLASS) n WATER CLOCK n PLOW n BRONZE (SN+CU) n MATH SYSTEM BASED ON 60 n

THE AKKADIANS Near what is now Baghdad Led by Sargon World’s first empire

EMPIRE n Land with different territories and peoples under a single rule

SARGON MESOPOTAMIA’S “MOSES” n 1 ST RULER TO HAVE A PERMANENT ARMY n 1 ST EMPEROR n RULED FOR 50 YEARS n