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Ancient Mesopotamia: The Rise of Sumer
http://www.vnc.qld.edu.au/enviro/sumer/sumermap.gif
Sumerian statues – used in
religious services
www.michaela-augusta.com
Sumer o In Southern Mesopotamia, the world’s first
advanced society developed - Sumer
o Around the year 3200BCE
o They mainly lived in rural areas
o Rural - Countryside
o Centers of Sumerian life were urban areas
o Urban - City
Clip Art
Sumer o Sumerian civilization was divided into city-states
o City-State - A city and all the land around it (similar to a
small country)
o City-states often fought each other
o Looking for more land and resources
o City-states had large armies and walls
o Two of the most powerful city-states in Sumeria were Ur and Uruk
o One king of Uruk was named Gilgamesh
http://media.onsugar.com/files/ons1/279/2797639/32_2009/bcd29c387064269a_gilgamesh.jpg
Sumeria
http://www.google.com/imgres?q=map+of+Sumer&hl=en&biw=1
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efurl=http://www.crystalinks.com/sumermaps.html&docid=4BYv
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t=0&ndsp=19&ved=1t:429,r:0,s:0&tx=65&ty=20
o Another group of people lived in
Mesopotamia called Akkadians
o Different than Sumerians
o Although they had a similar culture
o The Akkadians set up the world’s
first empire under Sargon the Great
The akkadian empire
http://www.markville.ss.yrdsb.edu.on.ca/projects/classof2008/chong2/yuen/sargon-bust.jpg
o Sargon the Great was the first ruler to have a permanent
army
o His soldiers were more well-trained than others
o Sargon the Great established the world’s first empire
around 2730BCE, which including conquering Sumeria
o Empire – Land with different territories and people
under a single ruler
o Sargon ruled for more than 50 years!
o His empire lasted for around 125 years after his death
o Many later Mesopotamian kings were inspired by Sargon
the Great
Sargon the great
Akkadian empire
http://www.memo.fr/Media/Empire_Akkadien.gif
o Religion was one the most important aspects in the life
of a Sumerian
o The Sumerians practiced Polytheism
o Polytheism - worship of many gods
o The Gods could punish or reward the people
o Every city-state had its own god/goddess
o Priests had a lot of power in Sumeria
o They were upper class
o They did all their work in temples or Ziggurats
Religion and society
http://www.strayreality.com/Lanis_Strayreality/pics/aasumer.jpg
Courtesy: Dan Swartos
Courtesy: Dan Swartos
Courtesy: Dan Swartos
o Priests were in the upper level of Sumerian social
hierarchy
o Social Hierarchy - division of society by rank or class
(class system)
o Men – had all the political power and made laws
o They were usually the only ones educated
o Women took care of the home and children
o The daughter of Sargon, Enheduanna wrote hymns
o The first female writer in history
Social order
