1. Chapter 5 Sumer Based in Ur, in southern Mesopotamia
3,500 BCE – farming villages
By 3,000 BCE, most Sumerians lived in city-states
Faced problems of food shortages, uncontrolled water supply

2. Sumerian Inventions Wheel Potter’s wheel Plow Cuneiform writing
First written laws
Complex irrigation systems
Walled cities
Arch in construction
Ziggurats
Faced problems of food shortages, uncontrolled water supply

3. Sumerians conquered problems of:
Food shortages
Uncontrolled water supply
Cooperatively building and maintaining irrigation systems
Attacks from neighbors over water rights
Faced problems of food shortages, uncontrolled water supply

4. Sumerian Civilization
Stable food supply
Irrigation systems, plow
Social structure: three social classes
Upper class: priests, land owners, gov’t officials
Middle class: farmers, merchants, craftspeople
Lower class: slaves
Government:
King led army, enforced laws, collected taxes
Government officials included scribes and canal patrols
Stable food supply
Irrigation systems, plow
Social structure: three social classes
Upper class: priests, land owners, gov’t officials
Upper class had two story houses, luxury items
Middle class: farmers, merchants, craftspeople
Craftspeople included skilled metal workers
Lower class: slaves
Government:
King led army, enforced laws, collected taxes
Government officials included scribes and canal patrols

5. Sumerian Signs of Civilization
Religion
Worshipped in Ziggurats
Created lifelike statues in worshipful poses
Arts
Musicians played lyres
Technology
Wheel, potter’s wheel, arch
Writing
Cuneiform went from 2,000 to 700 symbols
Based on earlier pictographs
Religion
Worshipped in Ziggarauts
Created lifelike statues in worshipful poses
Arts
Musicians played lyres
Technology
Wheel, potter’s wheel, arch
Writing
Cuneiform went from 2,000 to 700 symbols