sumerian

• Bitumen is the natural sticky black substance in asphalt.
• Sumer was the southernmost region of ancient Mesopotamia

  (modern-day Iraq and Kuwait) which is generally considered the

  cradle of civilization.
• The name comes from Akkadian, the language of the north of

  Mesopotamia, and means “land of the civilized kings”. The

  Sumerians called themselves “the black headed people” and their

  land, in cuneiform script, was simply “the land” or “the land of the

  black headed people” and, in the biblical Book of Genesis, Sumer is

  known as Shinar.
• The Sumerians lived from 3500 B.C. – 2000 B.C. although other

  sources say that the civilization started as early as 3000 B.C
• The Sumerians built small square houses built of mud.
• The Sumerians lived in Mesopotamia or

  the Fertile Crescent.
• This area is between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers and runs along the eastern side of the Mediterranean Sea.
• The word Mesopotamia is a Greek word meaning “Land between the Rivers.”
• Mosopotamia- They were mostly farmers and had well organized

  communal (community) life.
• The Sumerians were also skilled in the use of such metal as copper, gold, silver and had

  developed by 3000 B.C. Fine artistry as well as considerable knowledge about technology. They

  were not only craftsman and farmers, but scribes, scholars, priests, priestesses, and merchants

  also.
• Gilgamesh is one of the oldest recorded stories

  in the world.
• The Sumerians built temples called ziggurats in the center of their cities.
• Some of the gods that they worshipped were Anu, the heaven god, Ea, the water god , and Enki, the god of wisdom.
• The most impressive and famous of Sumerian buildings are the ziggurats
• The Sumerians also developed the arch, which enabled

  them to develop a strong type of roof called a dome.
• The Sumerians invented the cuneiform writing system, one of the oldest deciphered writing systems
• They invented the sailboat this allowed them to trade up and down the Tigris and Euphrates
• Sailboats were of utmost importance to them as transportation was essential to their culture.
• The Sumerians had three main types of boats: - skin boats comprised reeds and animal skins - sailboats featured bitumen waterproofing - wooden-oared ships, sometimes pulled upstream by people and animals walking along the nearby banks.
• The term ‘Cuneiform’ has been derived from the Latin word ‘Cunus’ which means wedge.
• Cuneiform writings of the “Sumerians were read from right to left
• A great contribution of the Sumerians to the history of mankind was ‘wheel’.
• Sumerians ushered in the age of intensive agriculture and irrigation.
• sumerian also divided up the circle into 360 degrees.
• They also invented the calendar. By studying the phases of the Moon, Sumerians created the first calendar. It had 12 lunar months and was the predecessor for both the Jewish and Greek calendars. A Lunar calendar that is more accurate then the Gregorian Calendar we use today.
• Engraved cylinder seals are one of Sumer’s most famous types of art.