The rich land between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers supported many farming villages. In the region called Mesopotamia, which meant “the land between the rivers,” several villages grew into cities. Mesopotamia was also the ancient name of present day Iraq.

Mesopotamia’s earliest cities rose up in an area called Sumer. People lived and worked together and formed a complex society or civilization.  Sumer classroom from 2000 B.C.E.

Webquest… Take 3 minutes to do an internet search and find something that the Sumer people, also known as the Sumerians, are responsible for inventing or something interesting about their culture… Be ready to share your answer…

The Sumerians spent a great deal of time developing many innovations that would forever change the course of civilization. All of the Sumerians’ innovations were remarkable contributions, responsible for revolutionizing travel, trade and commerce, written and oral communication, science, and even literature. Many of the things that we take for granted today can be traced back directly to the ingenuity of the Sumerian culture.Sumerians

The Sumerians cannot claim the invention of the wheel, but they were responsible for revolutionizing transportation, with the first wheeled vehicles. This ability to make vehicles to which wagons could be attached streamlined trade and commerce, allowing traders and merchants to transport larger quantities of goods back and forth. They used oxen and donkeys to pull heavy loads using the wheeled carts. Wheeled carts were important in moving construction materials for their construction projects

They were able to build seven-story temples called ziggurats where they worshipped their gods. The Sumerians believed that each city had a god to watch over them and protect them. They also believed that the gods controlled the winds and the rain, the sun, and every part of nature important to an agricultural society.

The Sumerians believed that large harvests were a sign that the gods were pleased with them. They also believed that floods and other natural disasters were signs that the gods were angry with them!!

The Sumerian writing system is probably the most significant of their inventions, paving the way for written communication, record keeping, and literature. Around 3200 B.C., they had developed the first known form of writing. Using a writing utencil known as a stylus, scribes would draw wedge-shaped characters on clay tablets, and then bake them to preserve the information. Cuneiform was a widely used form of communication for several millennia, despite having over 500 characters, and taking years to learn and master. etId=9EB FC4-45BD-BD39- D5414CA3D012&blnFromSearch=1&productcode=US

Not everyone in Sumer, including the kings, could read or write. Those who could write were called scribes. Often they kept records, wrote letters for other people, and copied down stories and songs. Example of a stylus

The Sumerians also developed a system of numbers. This system, based on a unit of 60, is still used today to some extent. They divided an hour into 60 minutes, and the circle 360 degrees, forming the basis for modern timekeeping and geometry.

Hammurabi was the powerful king of Babylon. He improved each of the city-states under his rule by promoting trade and by building and keeping up dikes and canals.

Hammurabi’s most important innovation was a collection of 282 laws called the Code of Hammurabi. It basically stated, “an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth”

Let’s Review… The main points you should remember from this lesson… One significant contribution of the Sumerians was the invention of the first written language. Present day Iraq is in the location of ancient Mesopotamia