Sumerians

The End of the Neolithic Era (Introduction) During the end of the Neolithic Era, humans had learned how to farm, domesticate animals, build city-states, and develop cultures. But something was about to push them even further than the Neolithic Revolution; the dawn of civilization. The first civilization, the Sumerians were in Mesopotamia, or the Middle East. This place was called the fertile crescent because its fertility. Its richness was due to the water from the Tigress and Euphrates river. Also the soil there was naturally well made for agriculture. This helped them advance. Some of the effects the Sumerians made were: their effect on writing, laws, math, transportation, and trade.

Table of Contents Effect in Effect in agriculture Mathematics Effect in Laws Effect in Writing Effect in agriculture and transportation. Effect in homes Bibliography Sumerian domination

Sumerian’s effect on Writing The first official writing was created by the Sumerians. The writing was called cuneiform and resembled symbols much similar to the hieroglyphics from the Egyptians. Cuneiform actually means wedge-shaped and was written on tablets of clay tablets. “Pencils” were made from blunt reeds currently called a stylus. People who used this language wrote from right to left like Hebrew. Sumerian tablets could be fired up in kilns to make permanent. This writing was shared by the differed languages: Akkadian, Elamite, Hittite, Assyrian, and the Luwian. This language was used in Mesopotamia; Babylonia, Sumerians, and Jordans for about 3,000 years! Hyperlink Back

Sumerian's effect in mathematics One of the things that helped shape the modern world was the effect Sumerians had in mathematics. They first used math to keep records on goods and trading on clay tablets. Gradually, a system took root, and they created sixty different symbols and then made the first “metric system”. Ten cones equaled one small circle; six small circles equaled one big cone, ten big cones equaled was a big cone with a circle inside it, six of those was a large circle and ten large circles was given by a large circle with a small circle inside. They also began to make fractions up to one-sixtieth. Hyperlink back

Sumerian’s effect in transportation and agriculture Hyperlinks back Since the Sumerians were surrounded by two waters and some of the villages were far apart, sometimes it was hard to contact and trade among each other. So, Sumerian architects devised a plan. They used wood planks and tied them together with flexible wood. After that, they built some shelter on the raft and presto! They could travel down the river to interact with each other. Another way people got around was on land. They would sit on horses, mules, or donkeys and ride them. Saddles, were usually built with four outward pertaining hangers. Sumerians would place there belongings and bring them with them. The Sumerian were at the base of the Mesopotamian mountains which had lots of ice. When the ice melted, water came flooding down. During the rest of the year, the base was a arid desert. Early Sumerians decided they need a way to control the water. A solution was they would build dams to catch the falling water. Then they would build irrigation canals to transfer the water back to the crops. If the crops over-flooded, the other canals would bring it back to the lake.

Sumerian’s effect in homes Sumerian’s homes were much similar to that of the humans during the Neolithic Revolution. The Sumerians built their houses out of mud and clay. They reinforced their houses out of wood poles. After that, they would build opening in the top to prevent animals from getting into their homes. Inside the homes, the basement was usually as a shrine to the gods and goddesses and a burial for the dead. There would also be basins to store food and also to keep important articles. For horticulture and agriculture, they would build wood or hardened mud posts or walls for agriculture. With these walls, the animals couldn’t escape. All the houses were connected enabling more people to live in these “condos”. Hyperlink back

Sumerian’s effect in laws Though Sumerians didn’t have nearly the advancement of laws of the Babylonians, the Sumerians had the law fundamentals. Similar to that of the presidents and vice presidents of today, the Sumerians had a king and lower representatives. They would make decisions and lead sacrifices. Another thing kings would do is construct temples in honor of them or solve problems. Also, they would live in spacious temples and would keep power through priests. They were the first to wear jewelry such as crown. Hyperlink Back

Sumerian Armies Structure Some kings wanted to dominate other lands for wealth, power, and popularity. In order to do that, Sumerians had to form an army. However, the Sumerians form a merciless and aggressive army. Each soldier was protected with bronze Sumerian helmets and armor and were armed with Bronze spears and solid shields. One of their strongest and most powerful invention was the offensive chariots which were pulled by horses and rode them into battle. The riders probably were armed with spears and shields like the rest of the warriors in the army. They invaded and conquered most of current day Iran and the northern part of the Middle East. Hyperlinks back

Bibliography http://www.crystalinks.com/sumerwriting.html http://www.crystalinks.com/sumermath.html California practice hall book: Ancient Civilizations