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civilizations/

We all think about doing something that we will be remembered for, and it is just the same for the
ancient civilizations who brought us many inventions and innovations. The Sumerians of ancient
Mesopotamia were no exception and they invented many things that are a part of our daily life today,
from mathematics to weaponry. So let’s have a look at the legacy the ancient Sumerians left behind:

1. Fabrication of Copper

Fabrication of copper, Sumerian invention

Copper was the earliest non-precious metal first used by the Sumerians, and somewhere around 5000
BC they developed the ability to fabricate it. The discovery of this process is one of the greatest
inventions in Mesopotamia which also helped with the growth of various cities like Uruk, Sumer,
al’Ubaid, and Ur. At first, copper was used to made arrowheads, razors, harpoons, and other small
objects, but as the years passed, the Sumerians also started making copper jugs, vessels, and chisels.
The objects which they made showcased the excellent craftsmanship of the Sumerians. The Imdugud
Relief of 3100 BC is a great example of copper craftsmanship. Discovered in al’Ubaid, it depicts an eagle
with a lion’s head with two stags either side which appear to be held up by the eagle. Copper was
beaten to form the images of these creatures and then framed in wood.

2. Board Games

Board game: Sumerian invention

The Royal Game of Ur was invented sometime between 2600 and 2400 BC. The remains of the game
were found by Sir Leonard Woolley in the Royal Tombs of Ur, Iraq, during the 1920s. It was also known
as the Game of 20 Squares or the Egyptian game Aseb. One of the two boards that were excavated is
kept in the British Museum in London.

The game used four tetrahedral dice with seven markers and comprised of two sets, one white and the
other black. The original rules are not known, and the game’s format has been reinvented over time, as
seen in a cuneiform tablet dating back to approximately 177 BC. Historians believe that, similar to the
ancient Egyptian game Senet, the Royal Game of Ur was a racing game, and possibly a precursor to
backgammon.
3. The Wheel

Sumerian invention, the wheel

The oldest existing wheel in Mesopotamia can be dated back to 3500 BC. The Sumerians first used
circular sections of logs as wheels to carry heavy objects, joining them together and rolling them along.
Subsequently, they invented the sledge and then combined the two. Eventually, they decided to drill a
hole through the frame of the cart and make a place for the axle. Now both the wheels and axles could
be used separately. The Sumerians realized that logs which had worn-out centers were more
manageable and soon these became wheels which could be connected to a chariot.

4. Number System

Number system, Sumerian invention

Invented by the Sumerians in the third millennium BC, this numbering system is known as the
sexagesimal system. It is named so because it has the number 60 as its base. Mathematics was
developed out of necessity. The Sumerians needed to trade and create taxation policies, so there was an
urgent need to keep records. Assigning symbols to large numbers was also necessary as they wanted to
track the course of the night sky in order to prepare the lunar calendar. They started using a small clay
cone to denote the number 1, a ball for 10, and a large clay cone for 60. An elementary abacus was
invented by the Sumerians between 2700 and 2300 BC.

5. The Sailboat

Sailboats were invented in order to expand Sumerian trade. Wood and papyrus were used to make
lightweight sailboats so that it was easy for them to move on water. The sails were given a square shape
and were made of linen. For battle, the platforms were raised so that the arrows could be aimed at the
enemy with more accuracy. This invention in 1300 BC changed the face of trading and war, and the
Sumerians were able to both advance their economy and provide protection for their people.

6. Cuneiform Script

Cuniform: first writing system

Developed between 3500 and 3000 BC, cuneiform script was the first writing system to be developed by
the Sumerians. This style of writing was wedge-shaped. A stylus was used to produce different figures
and pictorials by making cuts into soft clay. Descendants of the Sumerians such as the Babylonians,
Assyrians, and Akkadians used the cuneiform style of writing in order to keep records. They started with
a pictorial cuneiform known as proto-cuneiform which later became much more complex. Symbols for
cities, gods, nature, etc. were known as determinatives, and by 3000 BC, their representations had
become much simpler. The marks now conveyed the idea of words instead of signs. There was also a
reduction in the number of characters from 1,000 to 600. With this reduction came a more phonetic
style. In archaic cuneiform, the direction of writing was from left to right, and gradually a wedge-topped
stylus was introduced which gave clearer strokes. People used the script for more than three millennia
until an alphabetical form replaced it during the Roman era.

7. Code of Ur-Nammu

Code of Ur-Nammu

The Sumerian Code of Ur-Nammu is the oldest surviving law in the world, and a copy of it was
discovered in Nippur. It is the earliest existing legal text and was created three centuries before the
Code of Hammurabi. The laws are listed so that crime is followed by punishment, a way of law-making
that became commonplace as time went on. Moreover, this code gives us a glimpse into the societal
structure of the Sumerian civilization. Here are some of the Code of Ur-Nammu’s laws:

If a man commits murder, that man must be killed.

If a man commits robbery, he will be killed.

If a man commits a kidnapping, he is to be imprisoned and pay 15 shekels of silver.

If a slave marries a slave, and that slave is set free, he does not leave the household.

If a slave marries a native (free) person, he/she is to hand the firstborn son over to his/her owner.

If a man violates the right of another and deflowers the virgin wife of a young man, they shall kill that
male.

If the wife of a man follows after another man and he sleeps with her, they shall slay that woman, but
the male shall be set free.

If a man proceeds by force and deflowers a virgin slave woman of another man, that man must pay five
shekels of silver.

If a man divorces his first-time wife, he shall pay her one mina of silver.
If it is a (former) widow whom he divorces, he shall pay her half a mina of silver.

8. Monarchy

System of monarchy in Sumer

Sumerians called their land the “land of black-headed people.” These people with black heads were
responsible for developing the first ruling system of monarchy. The earliest of their states needed a ruler
to govern many people living in a wide area. Before the monarchy came into existence, Sumerian states
were ruled by priests. The priest-kings had bureaucrats who were also priests. They assigned fields to
people after surveying the land and also distributed the harvest among them. They also judged disputes,
organized important religious rituals, administrated trade, and led the military.

However, there was the need for a legitimate authority which was beyond the tribal concepts of
chieftainship. Therefore, the Sumerians judged that the authority of monarchs should be based on
divine selection. Later they started believing that the monarch himself was a divine power who must be
worshiped. In this way they legitimized the authority of the ruler who was in a dominant position, both
ruling the current population and serving later generations which settled in the Sumerian states. The
first confirmed monarch was Etana of Kish who ruled around 2600 BC. He was described as the man who
stabilized the land.

9. Astrology and the Lunar Calendar

Lunar calendar, Sumerian invention

The Sumerians were the first astronomers to map the stars into different constellations (these were
later observed by the ancient Greeks). They also identified five planets that were visible to the naked
eye. They documented a rudimentary cluster of constellations and noted the movements of Saturn,
Jupiter, Mars, Venus, and Mercury. Furthermore, they used astrological symbols to predict future battles
and the fortunes of city-states. Their month began with the sunset and the first crescent of the new
moon. This was seen for 18 hours after the 36 hours when the old crescent disappeared. The crescent
was the thinnest of all its forms. The day consisted of 12 hours and it started and ended with sunset.

They were also the first to create a lunar calendar. Phases of the moon were used to count the 12
months of the year. The Sumerians had two seasons in their year. The first was the summer which
started with the vernal equinox and the other was winter which began with the autumn equinox. Sacred
marriage rites were performed on the first day of the new year. By adding an extra month every four
years, they were able to define a ‘year of seasons’ which was different to the other three years.

10. Weapons

According to ancient records, it was the Sumerian people who used copper weapons for the first time,
and they invented spears, swords, maces, slings, and clubs. Sickles were commonly used in battle
alongside axes and spears. The socketed axe was the most influential weapon to be invented by the
Sumerians. They even used chariots for warfare, and putting their invention, the wheel, to use in this
way was a huge contribution to the military world.

Conclusion

The Sumerians met the needs of their people by inventing things way before other civilizations even
came into existence, and many of these inventions such as soap and irrigation are still in use today. The
invention of the calendar still helps us keep track of our lives, and the development of weaponry has
been crucial both in making war and keeping the peace. All of these inventions have stood the test of
time and continue to serve mankind thousands of years later.

https://courses.lumenlearning.com/suny-hccc-worldcivilization/chapter/the-sumerians/

The Sumerians
LEARNING OBJECTIVE

 To understand the history and accomplishments of the Sumerian people

KEY POINTS

 The Sumerians were a people living in Mesopotamia from the 27th-20th century
BCE.
 The major periods in Sumerian history were the Ubaid period (6500-4100 BCE),
the Uruk period (4100-2900 BCE), the Early Dynastic period (2900-2334 BCE),
the Akkadian Empire period (2334 – 2218 BCE), the Gutian period (2218-2047
BCE), Sumerian Renaissance/Third Dynasty of Ur (2047-1940 BCE), and then
decline.
 Many Sumerian clay tablets have been found with writing. Initially, pictograms
were used, followed by cuneiform and then ideograms.
  Sumerians believed in anthropomorphic polytheism, or of many gods in human
form that were specific to each city-state.
 Sumerians invented or perfected many forms of technology, including the wheel,
mathematics, and cuneiform script.

TERMS

City-states

A city that with its surrounding territory forms an independent state.

cuneiform script

Wedge-shaped characters used in the ancient writing systems of Mesopotamia, surviving

mainly on clay tablets.

ideograms

Written characters symbolizing an idea or entity without indicating the sounds used to say it.

pictograms

A pictorial symbol for a word or phrase. They are the earliest known forms of writing.

pantheon

The collective gods of a people or religion.

Epic of Gilgamesh

An epic poem from the Third Dynasty of Ur (circa 2100 BCE), which is seen as the earliest
surviving great work of literature.

anthropomorphic

Having human characteristics.

“Sumerian” is the name given by the Semitic-speaking Akkadians to non-Semitic

speaking people living in Mespotamia. City-states in the region, which were organized
by canals and boundary stones and dedicated to a patron god or goddess, first rose to
power during the prehistoric Ubaid and Uruk periods. Sumerian written history began in
the 27th century BCE, but the first intelligible writing began in the 23rd century BCE.
Classical Sumer ends with the rise of the Akkadian Empire in the 23rd century BCE,
and only enjoys a brief renaissance in the 21st century BCE. The Sumerians were
eventually absorbed into the Akkadian/Babylonian population.

Periods In Sumerian History

The Ubaid period (6500-4100 BCE) saw the first settlement in southern Mesopotamia
by farmers who brought irrigation agriculture. Distinctive, finely painted pottery was
evident during this time.

The Uruk period (4100-2900 BCE) saw several transitions. First, pottery began to be
mass-produced. Second, trade goods began to flow down waterways in southern
Mespotamia, and large, temple-centered cities (most likely theocratic and run by priests-
kings) rose up to facilitate this trade. Slave labor was also utilized.

The Early Dynastic period (2900-2334 BCE) saw writing, in contrast to pictograms,
become commonplace and decipherable. The Epic of Gilgamesh mentions several
leaders, including Gilgamesh himself, who were likely historical kings. The first dynastic
king was Etana, the 13th king of  the first dynasty of Kish. War was on the increase, and
cities erected walls for self-preservation. Sumerian culture began to spread from
southern Mesopotamia into surrounding areas.
Sumerian Necklaces and Headgear Sumerian necklaces and headgear discovered in the royal (and individual)
graves, showing the way they may have been worn.

During the Akkadian Empire period (2334-2218 BCE),  many in the region became
bilingual in both Sumerian and Akkadian. Toward the end of the empire, though,
Sumerian became increasingly a literary language.

The Gutian period (2218-2047 BCE) was marked by a period of chaos and decline, as
Guti barbarians defeated the Akkadian military but were unable to support the
civilizations in place.

The Sumerian Renaissance/Third Dynasty of Ur (2047-1940 BCE) saw the rulers Ur-
Nammu and Shulgi, whose power extended into southern Assyria. However, the region
was becoming more Semitic, and the Sumerian language became a religious language.
The Sumerian Renaissance ended with invasion by the Amorites, whose dynasty of Isin
continued until 1700 BCE, at which point Mespotamia came under Babylonian rule.

Language And Writing

Many Sumerian clay tablets written in cuneiform script have been discovered. They are
not the oldest example of writing, but nevertheless represent a great advance in the
human ability to write down history and create literature. Initially, pictograms were used,
followed by cuneiform, and then ideograms. Letters, receipts, hymns, prayers, and
stories have all been found on clay tablets.

Bill of Sale on a Clay Tablet. This clay tablet shows a bill of sale for a male slave and building, circa 2600 BCE.
Religion
Sumerians believed in anthropomorphic polytheism, or of many gods in human form,
which were specific to each city-state. The core pantheon consisted of An (heaven),
Enki (a healer and friend to humans), Enlil (gave spells spirits must obey), Inanna (love
and war), Utu (sun-god), and Sin (moon-god).

Technology
Sumerians invented or improved a wide range of technology, including the wheel,
cuneiform script, arithmetic, geometry, irrigation, saws and other tools, sandals,
chariots, harpoons, and beer.