Module 18: Lesson 2

The Rise of Akkad P. 585-591

Sumerian Inventions
Rise of the Akkadian Empire:
The Akkadians lived just north of Sumer.
They spoke a different language other than their neighbors the
Sumerians.
They were living in peace with the Sumerians until the peace was broken
when Sargon(The Akkadian King) decided to enlarge his empire by
invading Sumer.

Sargon’s Empire:
First he built a new capital, Akkad on the Euphrates River near what is
now the city of Baghdad.
He had a strong army that was able to defeat all the city-states of Sumer.
Then, he conquered northern Mesopotamia.

The Founder of the World’s first empire:

Sargon was the first to establish an empire (a land of different territories
and people ruled by the same emperor)
Sargon ruled his empire for 50 years, his empire only lasted a century
after his death.
After the fall of Akkad, the Sumerians regained control under the rule of
the city of Ur, they Sumerians became the most powerful civilization in
the region again.
Religion Shapes Society:

• Religion was very important in the Sumerian society.

• The Sumerians practiced Polytheism (The worship of many
gods).
• Each city-state considered one god to be its special protector.
• The Sumerians believed that their gods had great power. They
could bring illness, they could bring floods, and good harvest.
• Priests were people who performed religious ceremonies,
they had a great status in the Sumerian society and worshiped
the gods in the Sumerian temples.
• Priests gave offerings to the gods, in order to please them,
these offerings were made in the temples.

Q: Why did Priests gain high status in Sumer?

Sumerian Social Order:

• The Kings took the highest social class in the society.

•The priests came after the kings.
•Below the priests, came craftspeople, merchants, and
traders.
• After them, came the farmers and laborers.
•At the bottom of the social class system came the slaves,
they had no rights at all.
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ki8S5I83Ccc
Men and Women of Sumer:
• Men held political power and made laws.
•Women took care of the home and children.
•Education was usually reserved for men, but some upper-class
women were educated, they even worked as priestesses in
Sumerian temples.
• The Inventing of Writing:
• The Sumerians made one of the greatest cultural advances in history.
• They developed the cuneiform system of writing (it is the world’s first system of writing)
• They used a sharp tools called styluses to make wedge-shaped symbols on clay tablets.
• Sumerians first used cuneiform to keep business records.
• A scribe (a writer) would be hired to keep track of the items people traded.
• Government officials and temples also hired scribes to keep their records.
• A scribe had a higher status in society in comparison to farmers and laborers.
• To become scribes Sumerians had to go to school to learn to read and write.
• Sumerians also wrote about their history, law, grammar, and math.
• They also wrote poems, stories and songs.
Advances and Inventions:
• One of Sumerians very important inventions was the wheel,
they used the wheel for making carts and wagons,
• They used the wheel in making pottery wheels to make pots
and bowls.
• The plow was another important invention, it was pulled by
an oxen, they broke through the hard clay soil to prepare it
for planting.
• The Sumerians invented a clock that used falling water to
measure time.
Math and Science:

Math:
• The Sumerians developed a math system based on the
number 60.
• They divided the circle into 360 degrees.
• They divided the year into 12 months.
• They also calculated the area of rectangles and triangles.
Science:
• The Sumerians recorded thousands of animals, plants, and
minerals.
• They made medicine out of animals, plants, and minerals.
• They listed treatments for certain diseases and recorded
their symptoms and body parts infected.
The Art of Sumer:

Architecture:
• The Sumerians were great builders, most of their rulers
lived in large palaces, rich Sumerians lived in two-story
homes.
• In the center of their cities they built huge temples called
Ziggurats ( they were pyramid shaped).
The Arts:
• Sumerians sculpted many statues of their gods.
• Sculptors also made small objects out of ivory and rare
woods.
• Jewelry was a popular item in Sumer, they made it out of
gold, silver, and gems.
• Cylinder seals: were small stone cylinders engraved with
designs, they were used to sign documents or decorate
other clay objects.

Music:
• Kings and temples hired musicians to play music on special
occasions,
• Sumerian musicians played reed pipes, drums, tambourines,
and string instruments called lyres. (Lai-ur