The Super Sumerians 3500 B C 2000 B

The Super Sumerians! 3500 B. C. – 2000 B. C.

I. Ancient Sumer Name given for the early collection of city-states in southern Mesopotamia B. Very hot and dry for most of the year C. Irrigation was needed to bring water to crops. They attempted to control Tigris and Euphrates Rivers and created dams and channels to manage the flooding. A.

II. City-States A. B. C. D. There was no “country” of Sumer Many separate city states = each city-state has its own king and laws These cities often fought with each other over power and land Each city usually had a wall around it for protection

III. Religion Sumerians believed in many gods like the god of farming and god of flooding = polytheistic B. Built Ziggurats for Priests and Priestesses so they could worship these gods. Only they could enter the Ziggurats C. Ziggurats means “mountain of god” or “hill of heaven” A.

36 Foot Tall Snowman near Syracuse!

IV. Daily Life Most people lived by farming B. Some were artisans which means they worked with metals, cloth or pottery C. People were made slaves because: 1) They owed money and were working off their debt 2) They were captured in a war and were now a prisoner of Sumer 3) They committed a crime and that was their punishment A.

V. Three Social Classes Upper class (rich) 1) Smallest number of people 2) Kings, Priests, Government Officials B. Middle Class 1) Most amount of people 2) Artisans, Merchants, Fisherman, Farmers C. Lower Class 1) Slaves who worked on farms or in temples A.

VI. Writing A. Sumerians were the very first people to develop a written language B. Writing was called cuneiform C. Only a few people knew how to read and write. They

VII. Other Advances/Inventions A. B. C. D. E. F. G. Invented the wheel Created the plow for farming Made first sailboat = wind power Divided time into 60 minute hours and 60 second minutes Created the 360 degree circle Studied the stars and moon = Beginnings of Astrology Created the 12 month calendar

VIII. The End of Sumer Over time, fighting lead to the weakening of these city-states and other empires began to take control of the region known as Sumer. B. The Akkadians under the leadership of Sargon eventually dominated all of Mesopotamia (including Sumer) by 2340 B. C. C. Sumerian culture eventually blends in with the new cultures of the area, but cuneiform is used until the 1 st century A.

Sargon and the Akkadian Empire!