1. Chapter 3 section1
The Rise of Sumer

2. The Rise of Sumer
Sumerians settled in southern Mesopotamia in about 3500 B.C.
Sumerian civilization is the earliest know civilization on Earth
For the first time people began to control their physical environment
Built levees along the 2 rivers to keep back the flood waters to use in the summer dry season
Chief crop was barley

3. Where is it located?

4. Rise of Sumer System of irrigation canals took planning
Set up government to make laws so they knew what was expected of them
Population grew – began to build cities
Great city of Sumer was called Ur.
Sumerians were the first city builders in this area of the world.

6. City- States
Each Sumerian city was considered a state in itself, with its own god and government
Each city- state was made up of the city and the farmland surrounding it
Near center of city were houses of upper class priests and merchants
Behind the houses of the rich were the houses of the middle class- government officials, shopkeepers, artisans
Houses of the lower class were farther out- farmers, unskilled workers, and fishermen

7. Model of a city

8. City State The Sumerians were very proud of their cities
There were often wars between the city states
They fought over boundary lines and to prove who was better and stronger

9. Religion and Family Life
At the center of each Sumerian city was a temple called a Ziggurat
Around the Ziggurat were courts where most business activity was centered and celebrations occurred
The courts and the ziggurat were the center of Sumerian life
Sumerians believed that all forces of nature (rain, wind, floods) were alive

11. Religion and Family life
These forces could not be controlled so they viewed them as gods
Sumerians believed they were on Earth to serve these gods
Only priests knew the will of the gods- so priests were very powerful

12. Religion and Family life
Sumerian writing called cuneiform was developed because people had to keep track of business details
When a student graduated from school, he became a scribe or writer

13. Religion and Family life
Only Sumerian males went to school- women could run businesses and own and sell enslaved people
The husband was the head of the household- his wife could run his affairs while he was away
Children were expected to support their parents when they grew old and were to obey older family members

14. Priest Kings
At first, Sumerian priests were also kings of the city state
One of the famous ones was called Gilgamesh of Urak
Tales told about him made him seem more like a god than a person
One tale written about him in 1700 B.C. is the oldest known story in the world.
The Sumerian priest-kings received advice from an assembly made up of free men

15. Priest Kings
When war broke out with another city- state, the assembly would choose one of its members to serve as military leader until the war was over
As time went on, these leaders stayed in charge even after peace returned
By 3000 B.C., they took the place of priests as permanent kings
At the same time, kingship became hereditary or passed down from parent to child.