 What led to the growth of villages?  Began to build elaborate irrigation systems  Created food surplus  Allowed branching out of jobs (pottery, metal objects, and woven cloth)  Trade begins to flourish  The sail and the wheel

 Increased need for labor on certain jobs  Formation of social classes  More organized religion  Change in beliefs  Began to believe in gods that would control agriculture

 Complex culture with 5 characteristics  Advanced cities  Specialized workers  Complex institutions  Record keeping  Advanced technology

 Large group of people living together  Center for a larger area  Depended on trade  City was hub for this

 Branching out to other occupations  Specialization  Some became artisans  Skilled workers who make goods by hand  Helped cities become center for trade

 Gov’t becomes necessary  Maintain order and establish laws  Institution  A long-lasting pattern of organization in a community  Religion becomes institution  Temples become center of religion, gov’t, and economy

 Gov’t officials would  Document tax collections  Passage of laws  Storage of grain  Merchants would  Record debts and payments  Sumerian scribes invent Cuneiform  Stylus (Reed) and moist clay  Beginning of Sumer = beginning of written history

 Farmers begin to use power of animal and nature  Plowing the ground  Irrigation systems  Artists  Invent the potter’s wheel  Made bronze from copper and tin (Bronze Age)

 One of earliest cities in Sumer  Along Euphrates River (Iraq)  Had advanced agriculture  Like?  People live in small one-story houses  Artisans begin to work full time  Why is this important?

 Had a market place  Buy things with grain, barley, etc. (Barter system)  Had Ziggurats  Huge temples surrounded by wall  Conduct rituals to worship the cities gods  Sacrifices are sometimes made  Storage area for food surplus, fabrics, and gems