The Cities of Sumer Lesson Outline VOCABULARY Writing on Clay What kind of civilization did the Sumerians create? Sumer's City-States Daily Life in Sumer cuneiform scribe city-state ziggurat polytheism empire BUILD BACKGROUND "He had built the walls of the city, Uruk Look at its brickwork! Nobody could build a better wall It was made of copper and burnt brick, and was wide PEOPLE enough to walk upon" Enheduana Sargon Gilgamesh Around 3000 BC, a powerful king ruled Uruk Uruk was one of about a dozen-small cities in southern Mesopotamia, a region known as Sumer (500 mur) Each city prized its independence However, all Sumerians worshiped similar gods and had similar customs Copy the compare and contrast chart below Make a list of Sumerian inventions in one column In the other column write how each invention improved life
~ 1tIO BC 3500 BC 3000 BC, 2500 BC - ~-~ ~- "' '" 2000 BC 1500 BC 1000 BC I I I ", ~ ~ ~, -~~~-- ~~---~-~ ~ 5008c AD 1 I, VouAre Here 3500 BC - 2800 BC Sumer's Schools ING ON CLAY The people of Sumer were great inventhey made some of the world's first - tion systems, wheeled vehicles, and oats They developed the pottery Iand ideas in science and math owever, their most important invenwas writing Laws, letters, records, riddles were written in a kind of _ g we now call cuneiform _ 0 NEE uh form) Sumer's cuneiform _ g system was one of the earliest _ g systems in the world uneiform is made by scratching et clay tablet with a sharp reed pen oldest tablets date from about 3500 At this time, cuneiform was "picture ~~-""-g" The symbols looked like the gs they described Over time, writers plified the symbols to write them more quickly There were about 500 symbols used regularly in cuneiform! Cuneiform signs could represent ideas or sounds, as well as objects For example, the sign for "arrow" called ti (TEE) looked like this But ti can also mean "life", so the symbol could be used for that word, too Look at the chart to see how cuneiform changed -'3< Only a few boys, and almost no girls, went to school First, the students learned to make clay tablets and "pens" from river reeds Then, they practiced making the cuneiform letters They also studied mathematics so that they could make accurate records After years of studying, a student became a scribe, or an official writer Trained scribes wrote everything Scribes also recorded laws, legends, and songs Why was writing such an important development for the Sumerians? How Cuneiform Developed ~ 1 Which two symbols refer to farming? This artifact, the Standard of Ur,was found in a king's grave 2 Why were picture symbols changed? 59
SUMER'S CITY-STATES You have read that cuneiform was developed around 3500 BC For the next thousand years, life in Sumer centered on its city-states A city-state is a selfgoverning city that also governs nearby villages The largest city-states were Ur, Uruk, and Eridu, all of which were near the Euphrates River You can see these cities on the map on this page Walled Cities 1 What was the northernmost citystate in Sumer? 2 How far is Nippur from the Persian Gulf? City-states were often at war with each other One of the main reasons they fought was to gain control of the precious waters of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers Thick mud-brick walls protected each city-state People entered and exited the city through large gates in these walls People also gathered at these gates to buy fresh produce and other goods from nearby farms The king's palace could be seen from almost any point in the city The king ruled the city-state from his palace, operated the courts and the army, and planned canals and other needed projects Sumerian Religion At the center of most Sumerian cities was a tall, flattened pyramid made of mud-brick This building was called a ziggurat (ZIHG 00 rat) Each ziggurat had a temple on its flattened top Most historians believe that religion was the center of Sumerian life The Sumerians practiced Thisjeweled ram in a golden bush was found in the tomb of a Sumerian princessin the 1920s 60
h1heism, a belief in many gods and - iesses They prayed to Ki for good harand to Enlil for rain Each city and family worshiped the gods that they ed protected them The most ous goddess was Ishtar, the goddess of and war An important god was Enki, god of water Through worship and giving gifts to temples, Sumerians tried to please - gods and goddesses One temple --d nearly 6,000 women and children eave cloth for its goddess! This cloth ered the temple's statues and clothed - ple workers The priests and priest es directed many workers in the tem There were musicians, craftworkers, ers, barbers, and scribes e City-States Unite Enheduana (en hed WAHN uh) was a erian priestess She was also a scribe _- out 4,000 years ago, she wrote a poem _raising the gods and goddesses of Sumer, er father was Sargon, a famous king of a - -state called Kish In 2300 BC Sargon eated the first great empire in history -,n empire is a group of lands and people uled by one government Sargon's empire began a new period - Mesopotamia's history First, he united all the independent city-states of umer Then, he extended his ~ ; rule to the north and west, in modern Syria His empire stretched over 900 miles-or about the distance from Los Angeles, California, to Portland, Oregon Sargon built a new capital city called Akkad or Agada, although its location is not certain today He ruled for about 56 years Because of cuneiform writing, Sargon was able to send messages and new laws across his kingdom Cuneiform writing spread along trade routes across the Fertile Crescent After Sargon's death, his empire broke up The city-states regained their independence and went back to governing themselves How did Sargon use cuneiform to help rule his empire? Sargon's (above) empire included many city-states, such as Ur, shown below in ruins today
The head of both rich and poor Sumerian families was the father Sons were taught to be future heads of their own homes Daughters were taught to be obedient wives and mothers Some wealthy girls became landowners and businesswomen, but they could never have the same rights as men For example, a Sumerian woman, no matter how wealthy, could not divorce her husband A man, however, had only to pay a fine to get a divorce DAILY LIFE IN SUMER From archaeological findings, we know that wealthy Sumerians lived in large, mud -brick houses with their servants and slaves Slaves were usually prisoners of war from distant regions who were sold in Sumer's cities by slave merchants Slaves wore a special haircut so they could be identified Sumerian Family Life In poor families, everyone worked Parents taught their crafts to their children, who worked from a young age Their homes were small mud-walled huts with reed mats for sleeping They used clay pots and baskets to store their few possessions These statues from Sumer show the clothing worn by men and women Leisure Life in Sumer Life was hard in Sumer, but there was time for fun Many people enjoyed play ing board games Others enjoyed music and the great temple festivals These festivals included parades, dancing 7 ' and feasts r " Sumerians were also storytellers Their greatest legend told about a hero named Gilgamesh (GIHL guh mesh) He set out on a long journey to try to discover how humans could live forever The legend also explains why the Sumerians honored him,,, The great Gilgamesh uias one who knew everything He had seen all there was to see and done all there was to do Gilgamesh was part god and part [man], and as strong as an ox He was the strongest in the land, and the best fighter In the legend, Gilgamesh had many adventures, but he never found the secret of living forever \ How did the lives of poor Sumerians compare to the lives of the wealthy? 62
Exploring TECHNOLOGY The Wheel Farmers in the Fertile Crescent may have been the first to use the wheel for work 'Speed and power Sumerian farmers had domesticated cattle and horses The invention of the wheel made it possible to transport people and goods more quickly Awheeled chariot pulled by horses could travel much faster than a human on foot This gave the army an advantage War chariots became a terrifying force in the Fertile Crescent Longer distances Before the invention of the wheel, most people traveled short distances over land The invention of the wheel allowed people to move large loads and products for longer distances This greatly improved trade PUTTING IT TOGETHER The ancient Sumerians were among the first to develop writing Their cuneiform records have given historians valuable clues about the daily life of Sumer These records include poetry, leg- ~ ends, and many of their laws Because ; they left written records, the legacy of Mesopotamia has not been lost Among Sumer's many achievements were cuneiform writing and wheeled carts like this toy How did the wheel improve farming and trade? 1 Write one sentence for each vocabulary word or term city-state scribe ziggurat polytheism empire 2 How did Sargon change life in Mesopotamia? 3 What were some features of Sumerian civilization? 4 How might the invention of the wheel have affected the economy of Sumer? 5 What was an effect of Sargon's decision to create an empire in Sumer? Suppose you were a wheat merchant in Mesopotamia Trace a map of the Fertile Crescent Draw the route you would take from Sumer to reach the Mediterranean Write a postcard from a Sumerian city Describe all the buildings and craftworkers you see during your visit 63