The Civilizations of Sumer

Mesopotamia - The Land Between Two Rivers

Mesopotamia was located in the Middle East, and surrounded by desert. People came to Mesopotamia because the soil between the two rivers was very fertile.

The Cradle of Civilization

When a newborn baby begins life, he or she is placed in a cradle. Mesopotamia is called the cradle of civilization because the first civilizations began there, about 5,500 years ago in 3500 B.C.

Mesopotamia was located in the Middle East.

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Sumerians are the first civilization to develop in Mesopotamia

Mesopotamia was located in what is now the country of Iraq.

Mesopotamia

• Mesopotamia = located within the Fertile Crescent, between the Tigris & Euphrates Rivers
• Rivers were NOT a reliable source of water (unlike the Nile)
• Ran dry in summer; flooded in spring
• Villages joined together to build dams, canals, and ditches

The Sumerians

• Abundance of food led to steady increase of population (farm, towns, cities)
• The Sumerians become the world’s First Civilization. (3300 B.C.)
• Located in Mesopotamia and Part of the Fertile Crescent.
• Sumer divided into at least 12 city-states.
• City-States ruled at first by war leaders who battled each other for control of land and water.

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The Sumerians

• Irrigated fields and produced three main crops
• Barley, Dates and Sesame Seeds
• They built canals, dams and drainage systems
• Developed a trade system with bartering

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Sumerian City States

• City State - an independent, self-governing country contained within the borders of a single city. 
• City-States are established along the Tigris and Euphrates rivers
• City States -were protected by defensive walls
• Ruled by war leaders who battled each other for control of land and water.

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The Sumerian Civilization

• Sumerians shared common culture, language, and religion
• City-states governed themselves
• Kings served as both government leaders AND high priests
• Theocracy – Government based on religious teachings
• Laws regulated the roles of women & men 🡪 men had far more rights

A Sumerian City-State Would look like this!

• The leader would rule the city and the farm land around it. Their leadership did not go further than that.
• Sumerian city-states fought each other over farm land. What steps do you think they took to protect themselves?

Sumerian city-states

• Sumerian city-states each had their own army and the amount of farmland a city-state controlled depended on the strength of their army.
• Sumerian cities were also well protected by thick, strong walls to keep invaders out!

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Ancient Sumer and Mesopotamia

• The first Sumerian cities were built along the banks of the rivers.
• Sumerian society was dominated by about 33 of these city-states.

• Sumerian city streets were so narrow that you could hardly get a cart through them.
• Homes were windowless and made of sun dried mud bricks
• Roofs were flat and provided additional living space for sleeping and cooking
• They burned oil lamps at night to see in the dark
• Sumerians even had plumbing! Clay pipes that were buried underground carried their waste away.

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A Sumerian City