Lesson #9 Achievements Of the Sumerians

When we last met… What religious beliefs did Sumerians have? Why were priests so influential in Sumerian society? What is a hierarchy? What was the social order of ancient Sumer? What were the roles of men and women in ancient Sumer?

Let’s look at some Of these Great achievements! Once Sumerians obtained a stable food source, they were able to use their time to advance their society. Because of this, the Sumerian people made great advancements in human achievement! It is because of these great advancements that the Sumerians are so important to the history of the world and are still studied 5,000 years later Let’s look at some Of these Great achievements!

The world’s FIRST writing system! Cuneiform The world’s FIRST writing system!

Sumerians did not have paper… They did not have pens or pencils… They did not have letters or words… Sumerians wrote on wet clay… Sumerians used a stylus to write… Sumerians used pictographs instead of words… Pictographs are pictures that mean words instead of letters.

At first, Sumerians created writing to conduct business. Characters developed over the years. Scribes were some of the most important people in Sumerian society. Scribes were people who knew how to write. Since not everyone had this skill, scribes were very valuable people. This is still true today. If you can write well, you will always have a valuable skill.

Here is an example of how they would use a stylus to write in clay.

The Wheel! Sumerians invented the wheel! They used it to haul things in carts and wagons. They also used it to create the potters wheel.

The Plow! A machine used to break up the soil to prepare for planting. It made farming easier than breaking soil by hand.

Other Sumerian Inventions A clock that kept time with dripping water. Sewers under their cities to carry away waste. Make-up. Glass jewelry. Various advanced math concepts. Medicines.

Architecture The science of building Wealthier Sumerians lived in two story homes similar to the one shown here. Poorer families lived in one story homes. Rich and poor lived next to each other. Most homes had a central courtyard. The streets were narrow and unpaved. The basic Sumerian building material was bricks made of mud.

Ziggurat Each city had a large temple with outside stairs that led to the top. Priests were the only ones allowed inside.

Sumerians built temples before the Egyptians did! The ziggurat at Ur Sumerians built temples before the Egyptians did!

Sumerian Art Sumerians had many forms of art but the most important and famous are the cylinder seals which were used at first to show ownership.

Here is the seal of the scribe Adda. It is 4,200 years old Here is the seal of the scribe Adda. It is 4,200 years old. Notice it is more detailed as a piece of art than the previous seal.