1. City States of Ancient Sumer
Chapter 2 Section 3

2. The Fertile Crescent
Sumer arises in the rich lands of the Fertile Crescent, along the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia- means “Between Two Rivers” in Greek

3. Floods and Irrigation The Tigris and the Euphrates frequently flooded
Like the Nile, this deposited silt for great crop land
Would often destroy the Sumerian’s mud-brick villages
The people had to work together to control the river and survive

4. Cities and Ziggurats
Ancient Sumer was made up of independent City-States, similar to Greece, who battled for control of the lands and water
The Cities were rectangular with high, wide walls using mud-bricks
Ziggurats were the largest buildings, Pyramid temples that held a shrine to the god or goddess of the city at its top.

5. Trade and Movement Sumerians depended on trade for wealth
Traded with far-away civilizations like Egypt and India
Created the first wheeled vehicles to carry trade goods

6. Cuneiform Oldest form of writing in the world, developed in 3200 BC
Name means “wedge-shaped”
Pictographic language written in clay with a reed Stylus
Eventually evolves into a symbolic language instead of pictographic
Used to record Harvest, Prayers, Laws, and Contracts

7. City Life and Government
Each City turned to war leaders who were strong enough to stand up to other city states, maintain city walls and irrigation systems, and lead their armies
Eventually became hereditary leaders, a “ruling family” like Great Britain today

8. City Life and Government
Each City had it’s own Hierarchy or system of ranks
The Highest class:
Ruling Family, Leading officials, and High Priests
The Middle Class:
Merchants, Artisans, and Lesser Priests and Scribes
The Lowest Class:
Peasant farmers

9. Women in Sumer Generally high status
“Pay heed to the word of your mother as though it was the word of God” – Ancient Sumerian Proverb
Wife of the king sometimes ruled while he was away
One female tavern owner rose to become a ruler herself in the city-state of Kish
As time goes on women become more dependent on men
Still keep their rights, women could trade, borrow and loan money, and own property

10. Sumerian Religion Polytheistic
People believed the Gods behaved like humans
Eating, drinking, married, raised families
Gods were much more destructive and unpredictable
Each City-State had it’s own God that represented it and the whole city would worship it.
View on the afterlife was very dark
Floods of the Tigris and Euphrates were MUCH more infrequent and destructive than the Nile, so they develop a more violent and negative view.

11. Advances in Learning Developed basic algebra and geometry
Based their number system on sixes
Divided hour into 60 minutes
Divided circle into 360 degrees
Still used in time and geometry today

12. Farming, Weaving, and special jobs Trading with other Nations
Egypt
Sumer
Geography
Sandy hills, plains, nile river, and fertile soil, barren deserts, delta
Fertile crescent, desert, Tigris and Euphrates rivers,  and the Persian Gulf
Religion
Polytheistic Believed in a good afterlife Pharaohs were treated as Gods on Earth
Polytheistic Controlled all aspects of life especially forces of nature Had a dark view of the afterlife, unlike the Egyptians
Economy
Farming, Weaving, and special jobs Trading with other Nations
Trade brought riches to the city-states Barter Economy
Government
Pharaohs ruled every aspect of Egyptian life
Used Vizier to advise Pharaoh
Independent city-states War leaders led people and maintained cities Hereditary Rule
Social Structure
Pharaohs ruled, priests served gods, and nobles fought wars, peasants farmed
Ruling family / High Priests Merchants Peasants
Achievements
Build the Pyramids, Invented calendars,  Hieroglyphics, Trade
Cuneiform writing, Wheeled vehicles, Coins, Alphabet, Iron working, mathematics