1. The Sumer Civilization
By: 2nd Period

2. GENERAL INFORMATION 3500 B.C Mesopotamia
Tigris- Euphrates in the fertile CRescent
Oldest Civilizations in the world
12 cities- 20,000 to 250,000 per city
Built first Dams to control seasonal floods
Each city surrounded by walls

3. Political Organizations
Each Sumerian city state governed
independently
not just monarchies but also theocracies
kings supervised farming very closely because they believed that much of the land belonged to the gods
as the societies grew and advanced governors (ensi) emerged to manage civic affairs

5. Class Systems Men could sell their wife or children into slavery
Women were able to buy and sell land
Sumerian law extensively regulated family life and outlined the roles of men and women
Men had great authority over their wife and children
Women could operate their own businesses and own and sell their own slaves

6. Technology
Some example of New technology the sumerian had is: the wheel, irrigation systems,umbrellas, sumerian Boats, lunisolar calendar, leather, saws, chisels, hammers, axes, knives, arrowheads, swords, glue, daggers, bags, harnesses, boots, sandal (footwear), harpoons, and beer.

7. Artistic Innovations Used cuneiform script with reeds and clay tablets
Some of the first poems were written in cuneiform (Gilgamesh)
Historians believe that this is the oldest in the world
School was called Eddubas
Architecture played a huge role in Sumerian life
Each City had a huge Ziggurat, acted as temples to the Deity
Center of city, surrounded by farmland

9. Religion Were Polytheistic Lived in the same natural world
An, God of sky, Father of gods
Ki, Goddess of earth
Enki, God Of Sweetwaters >
Ninurta, God of thunderstorms and the plow
Nanna, The moon, Controls seasons
Lugol's were “strong men that could talk to the Gods Gods, later became priests then Kings

10. Religious Developments
Form of hierarchy based on religious status
Complex religion with grand temples
Form of writing due to trying to maintain texts
System of taxation based of offerings
Leaps in Astrology which lead to complex mathematical calculations
Positional Base-60 system >

11. Economic Setting Agriculture was a main influencer
The Temples also helped the economy as well as being a religious factor
Sumer traded with the Ur
Sumer traded food grains
Got exported wool, silk-dress, metallic goods and dates from Ur
the Sumerians accepted silver instead of food grains eventually

12. Job Specialization
Jobs included pottery makers, stonecutters, bricklayers, metal smiths, farmers, fishers, shepherds, weavers, leather-workers, and sailors.

13. Fun Facts
Marriage contracts- could only be married when groom brought gifts
City of Eridu is considered the oldest civilization
The Sumerians had a goddess of beer, Ninkasi
Only had one female leader, worshipped as a goddess
Believed that their kings ruled for thousands of years

15. Works Cited
Bancroft-Hunt, Norman. Ancient Mesopotamia. New York, Chelsea House, 2009.
Farah, Mounier A., and Andrea Berens Karls. World History: The Human Experience. Columbus OH, The Mcgraw-Hill Companies, Inc., 1997.
History.com Staff. "Sumer: Facts and Summary." History.com, 2017, Accessed 27 Aug
Mark, Joshua J. “Sumer.” Ancient History Encyclopedia, Ancient History Encyclopedia, 27 Aug. 2018,
Kramer, Samuel Noah. “Sumer, Sumerians.” Encyclopaedia Judaica, edited by Michael Berenbaum and Fred Skolnik, 2nd ed., vol. 19, j Macmillan Reference USA, Detroit, 2007, pp. 309–312. World History in Context, k k k o k k k link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/CX /WHIC?u=engl88921&sid=WHIC&xid=4dfaed28. Accessed 28 Aug