Sumerians Outline

I. History A. Location 1. An ancient region in southern Mesopotamia (now southeastern Iraq), was the birthplace of the world’s first civilization. 2. Scholars do not know where these people orginially came from. 3. This civilization began about 3500 B.C. and flourished until about 2000 B.C. 4. Several Sumerian cities grew into independent city-state. 5. It was later absorbed by the great empires of Babylonia and Assyria. B. Property 6. People had inhabited the Sumer region since the 5000’s B.C. 7. The more powerful city states conquered their neighbors and became small kingdoms, including Kish, Lagash, Umma, Ur, and Uruk. 8. Sometime during the 2300’s B.C, Uruk controlled all of Sumer for a brief time until Sargon of Akkad conquered Sumer. 9. Shortly before 2100 B.C, Ur won control first of Sumer and then of nearby Assyria and Elam. 10. But Semites, who may have come from the Arabian Peninsula, ruled Sumer for most of the period from 2300 to 539 B.C, when the Persians conquered the region. 11. The Semites spoke Semitic spoke Semitic languages related to Arabic and Hebrew, but they absorbed most of the traditions of Sumerian civilization. II. Economy C. Basis for livelihood 1. The Sumerian civilization developed in the fertile plain formed by the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. 2. The Sumerians built cities that had magnificent palaces and temples. 3. The Sumerians built walls around their cities for protection against invaders. 4. Most Sumerians made their living by growing crops or raising livestock. 5. Sumer’s dry climate prompted the Sumerians to construct canals to irrigate their fields. 6. The major crops were barley, wheat, dates, and vegetables. 7. Sumerians also raised cattle, donkeys, sheep, and goats. 8. Wool from the sheep was used to make textiles, the main

Bibliography: * ------------------------------------------------- Kramer, Samuel Noah. "The Sumerians."MacroHistory : World History. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Nov. 2012. <http://www.fsmitha.com/h1/ch01.htm>. * ------------------------------------------------- hundred, numerous scholars working in the Museum in the course of the past four decades. Of these six, seventy-five pieces, approximately one hundred, seventy-five are inscribed with epic, mythological material; some three hundred are hymnal in character; fifty are parts of lamentations; the remaining one hundred, fifty are inscribed with proverbs, and wisdom compositions.. "Sumerian Mythology: Introduction."Internet Sacred Text Archive Home. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Nov. 2012. <http://www.sacred-texts.com/ane/sum/sum05.htm>. * ------------------------------------------------- "Sumerian Civilization Resources." The History Guide -- Main. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Nov. 2012. <http://www.historyguide.org/ancient/sumer_res.html>. * Book, Inc. The World Book encyclopedia. 2007 ed. Chicago: World Book, 2007. Print.