Ancient Sumerian Technology
The Sumerians have established themselves as being the cradle of all civilizations. The many aspects of their civilization such as geography, belief systems, government and social organizations, economic systems, art, and technology all contributed to their success. The Sumerian’s intelligence led to the development of new technology and their creativity helped create unique pieces of art. Civilizations today use technology and techniques that were created by the ancient Sumerians. The geography of ancient Sumer allowed there to be a surplus of food, which was very important to the civilization. At around 6000 B.C., Neolithic farmers started to settle into the Fertile Crescent because of its location near both the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. This is why Sumer is also
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called the Tigris-Euphrates river valley. Its location near these rivers was good for transportation. This area received not enough water to support agriculture, but the Tigris and Euphrates rivers helped water the region. The soil was constantly fertilized by the silt that was spreaded by uncontrolled floods and this created a surplus of food. The landscape of Sumer was mostly marshy and flat while the climate was very dry and hot because of its location in the Middle East.
Sumer used a monarchy system of government and was ruled by a king as most civilizations were. Throughout the three significant time periods of Sumer, they went through many different governmental changes. During the first period, Sumer had been divided into many city states. Each city possessed its own king and had a council of elders who would offer the king advice, and make sure that the laws were fair. During the second period, Sumer, Akkad, and Umma were taken over by Sargon the great, and during the third period, Hammurabi takes over Sumer and Akkad. He created the Hammurabi code to establish a set of rules and punishments that everyone had to follow.
In Sumer, women were viewed as property instead of humans. They were known as their father’s daughter or their husband’s wife. Social organizations ordered groups of people from top to bottom. In society the King was on top, then came the priests. The upper class consisted of scribes, government officials, warriors, and nobles. Scribes were hired by the king and their job was to record information and stories. The middle class consisted of merchants and artisans and the lower class consisted of farmers and laborers. The majority of people in Sumer were in the lower class. Slaves were at the very bottom. Slaves had usually been prisoners of a war. Tax collectors took taxes in another form than money. The taxes consisted of livestock, crops, and fees on merchants for transporting goods. The economic system of ancient sumer was mainly based on merchants and trade between other regions.
Farmers that worked for the government had to turn in the majority of their harvest which was distributed throughout the city. Different jobs ranked people higher in society than others. For example, a farmer would be ranked lower than a scribe. Merchants traveled in a wheeled cart which was pulled by livestock. Once the city started to grow, the merchants started to trade for luxury items such as precious stones, hardwood, and metal. The ancient Sumerians traded with Iran, Northern Mesopotamia, Syria, Anatolia, and the Persian Gulf. The main crop in Sumer was barely. Barley, was made into flour, which was made into bread. Figs and dates were also common foods in Sumer.
The art of the ancient Sumerians had influenced many civilizations at the time as well as future civilizations. Clay was the material that was used to make art because of its abundance. Their art mainly focused on the relationship between people, gods, plants and animals. They made paintings and sculptures that were very complex. The art of the Sumerians was very difficult to make because it is hard to make sharp edges when using
clay.
Sumer is known for inventing technologies that are still used today. The ancient Sumerians developed a written system called cuneiform and wrote on dried clay tablets with a reed pen, also known as a stylus. They also developed a numerical system around the number 60, which is time, and a calendar system based on the phases of the moon. Irrigation systems were used to help water crops while a plow was used to lift soil from crop fields. In addition, The Sumerians invented the sailboat and the wheel. The belief system was very important to the ancient sumerians. They believed that their descendants created the ground that they inhabited by separating the ground from the water and that the world was a watery chaos before it began. The mother of chaos was an immense dragon and called Tiamat. Their god Enlil had defeated Tiamat and her dragon army and then split open her body, which became the earth. Then the gods beheaded her husband and used his blood to create human beings. The priest lived on temple grounds for free while others had to give one sixth of their crops.
called the Tigris-Euphrates river valley. Its location near these rivers was good for transportation. This area received not enough water to support agriculture, but the Tigris and Euphrates rivers helped water the region. The soil was constantly fertilized by the silt that was spreaded by uncontrolled floods and this created a surplus of food. The landscape of Sumer was mostly marshy and flat while the climate was very dry and hot because of its location in the Middle East.
Sumer used a monarchy system of government and was ruled by a king as most civilizations were. Throughout the three significant time periods of Sumer, they went through many different governmental changes. During the first period, Sumer had been divided into many city states. Each city possessed its own king and had a council of elders who would offer the king advice, and make sure that the laws were fair. During the second period, Sumer, Akkad, and Umma were taken over by Sargon the great, and during the third period, Hammurabi takes over Sumer and Akkad. He created the Hammurabi code to establish a set of rules and punishments that everyone had to follow.
In Sumer, women were viewed as property instead of humans. They were known as their father’s daughter or their husband’s wife. Social organizations ordered groups of people from top to bottom. In society the King was on top, then came the priests. The upper class consisted of scribes, government officials, warriors, and nobles. Scribes were hired by the king and their job was to record information and stories. The middle class consisted of merchants and artisans and the lower class consisted of farmers and laborers. The majority of people in Sumer were in the lower class. Slaves were at the very bottom. Slaves had usually been prisoners of a war. Tax collectors took taxes in another form than money. The taxes consisted of livestock, crops, and fees on merchants for transporting goods. The economic system of ancient sumer was mainly based on merchants and trade between other regions.
Farmers that worked for the government had to turn in the majority of their harvest which was distributed throughout the city. Different jobs ranked people higher in society than others. For example, a farmer would be ranked lower than a scribe. Merchants traveled in a wheeled cart which was pulled by livestock. Once the city started to grow, the merchants started to trade for luxury items such as precious stones, hardwood, and metal. The ancient Sumerians traded with Iran, Northern Mesopotamia, Syria, Anatolia, and the Persian Gulf. The main crop in Sumer was barely. Barley, was made into flour, which was made into bread. Figs and dates were also common foods in Sumer.
The art of the ancient Sumerians had influenced many civilizations at the time as well as future civilizations. Clay was the material that was used to make art because of its abundance. Their art mainly focused on the relationship between people, gods, plants and animals. They made paintings and sculptures that were very complex. The art of the Sumerians was very difficult to make because it is hard to make sharp edges when using
clay.
Sumer is known for inventing technologies that are still used today. The ancient Sumerians developed a written system called cuneiform and wrote on dried clay tablets with a reed pen, also known as a stylus. They also developed a numerical system around the number 60, which is time, and a calendar system based on the phases of the moon. Irrigation systems were used to help water crops while a plow was used to lift soil from crop fields. In addition, The Sumerians invented the sailboat and the wheel. The belief system was very important to the ancient sumerians. They believed that their descendants created the ground that they inhabited by separating the ground from the water and that the world was a watery chaos before it began. The mother of chaos was an immense dragon and called Tiamat. Their god Enlil had defeated Tiamat and her dragon army and then split open her body, which became the earth. Then the gods beheaded her husband and used his blood to create human beings. The priest lived on temple grounds for free while others had to give one sixth of their crops.