Transcript Sumeria

Sumeria
Cradle of Civilization
The First Civilization
A PARADE OF EMPIRES
Significant Terms
Civilization- A large scale,
complex organized society,
associated with urbanism and
sociopolitical territories known
as states
City State- A sociopolitical
entity, that contains an urban
centre and controls a defined
territory
The State and Urban Revolution:
In the city-state (or state), kin and tribal
loyalties are, by definition, subordinated and
replaced by political ties…. What makes a citystate different from an agricultural town is the
synergy created by its people interacting with
each other on the basis of political
relationships rather than traditional blood ties.
THE FERTILE CRESCENT
Modern Day
Diversional Irrigation
CITY OF UR
Sumeria- an Ingenious society
THE AGE OF GOD KINGS
• The Kings List
records the names
of the Kings of
Sumer and the
lengths of their reign
• Kingship‘
descended from
Heaven”
• Kingship was
hereditary
Social and political organization:
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The King: he had military powers.
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The Governors: they governed the territories of
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The aristocracy: they were priests and traders.
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The peasants: the people who work the land.
the kingdom. They were generals and judges at
the same time.
The King
The Governors
The Aristocracy
The Peasantry
The Beginnings of Writing
Farmers needed to keep records.
The Sumerians were very good farmers. They raised animals such as goats and cows (called
livestock). Because they needed to keep records of their livestock, food, and other things, officials
began using tokens.
Tokens were used for trade.
Clay tokens came in different shapes and sizes. These represented different objects. For example, a
cone shape could have represented a bag of wheat. These tokens were placed inside clay balls that
were sealed. If you were sending five goats to someone, then you would put five tokens in the clay
ball. When the goat arrived, the person would open the clay ball and count the tokens to make sure
the correct number of goats had arrived. The number of tokens began to be pressed on the outside
of the clay balls. Many experts believe that this is how writing on clay tablets began.
A system of writing develops.
The earliest form of writing dates back to 3300 B.C. People back then would draw "word-pictures"
on clay tablets using a pointed instrument called a stylus. These "word-pictures" then developed
into wedge-shaped signs. This type of script was called cuneiform (from the Latin word cuneus
which means wedge).
Who used cuneiform?
Not everyone learned to read and write. The ones that were picked by the gods were called scribes.
Boys that were chosen to become scribes (professional writers) began to study at the age of 8. They
finished when they were 20 years old. The scribes wrote on clay tablets and used a triangular shaped
reed called a stylus to make marks in the clay. The marks represented the tens of thousands of words
in their language.
THE DEVELOPMENT OF
CUNEIFORM: The Sumerian
writing system during the
early periods was constantly
in flux. The original direction
of writing was from top to
bottom, but for reasons
unknown, it changed to left-toright very early on (perhaps
around 3000 BCE). This also
affected the orientation of the
signs by rotating all of them
90° counterclockwise. Another
change in this early system
involved the "style" of the
signs. The early signs were
more "linear" in that the
strokes making up the signs
were lines and curves. But
starting after 3000 BC, these
strokes started to evolve into
wedges, thus changing the
visual style of the signs from
linear to "cuneiform".
Unlocking the Mystery-
A Literary Society
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Religious Myths Tales of Enlil and Inanna
The Flood Myth
Epic Tales; “ The Epic of Gilgamesh “
Hymns and Elegies
Wisdom Compositions eg ;” The Dispute
between Cattle and Grain;”
‘ The Dispute
between Hoe and Plough’
Proverbs eg” Into An open mouth, a fly enters’
Instructional Essays; n” The Farmers Almanac”
HOUSES OF URUK
Tablet showing Nippur Plan
The Rise of Great Cities
ZIGURRAT OF UR
ZIGURRAT AT URUK
Necessity is the Mother of Invention
• Sumerians had located the
position of Mercury Saturn
and Mars as well as
knowledge of the sun and
moon
• Sumerians had developed a
sophisticated system of
weights and measurements
• Sumerians were the first to
institutionalize learning in
schools, generally for the
training of scribes
• Sumerian law code
predates Hammurabi
STANDARD OF UR
SCENES OF WAR
AN ARTISTIC SOCIETY
A WARLIKE SOCIETY
Development of organized warfare
• Sophisticated and stronger weaponry
• Metal helmets and body Armor
• Importance of cavalry, and chariots
• Phalanx formation
Upper Register of the Stele of Vultures
STELE OF NARIM SIN
SIR LEONARD WOOLLEY 1880-1960
Dead Men Do Tell Tales
• Sir Leonard Woolley excavated
the Royal Tombs of Ur, finding a
large number of skeletons in
the vaults, possibly royal
attendants.
• As well jewellery, waggons,
furniture, musical instruments,
pottery, and even board
games were found.
• Woolley showed great care in
his rescuing and restoring
objects for example- The
Standard of Ur
• These objects have been able
to tell us much about Sumerian
society
The Legacy of Sumer
Commerce
Maths
And
Science
Cuneiform
Sumerian
civilization
Arts
Technology
Literature
Religion