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Mesopotamian Achievements
Chapter 3 Lesson 3
Explain how the Mesopotamians were able to achieve all they did
Describe the development of Sumerian writing
Objectives
Innovation – new ways of doing things
Almanac – writings that include information that describes the best way to plant, irrigate land, and care for crops
Ziggurat – the largest and tallest temple in every Sumerian city-state
Cuneiform – a writing system based on wedge shaped symbols
Scribe – a person who records things for others
Vocabulary
By 2500 BC, many farmers in Mesopotamia used bronze plows
Other agricultural innovations included plows that could also seed and written almanacs that described farming techniques
Agricultural Techniques
To keep records of their rapidly growing society, Sumerians developed standard measurements of land, weight and volume
Also developed a number system based on the number 60
Measured time using a 360 day calendar
Measurements
Sumerians lived in mud-brick houses
The tallest structure in each Sumerian city-state was the ziggurat, a temple that served as a center of religious and economic activity
Building
The Sumerians were the first to attach wheels to carts
Traders led caravans of
donkeys across established trade routes
Sumerians also traveled in various kinds of boats
Transportation
Sumerians developed a writing system based on cuneiform
Writing helped make new developments in government, economy, and society possible
Writing and Literature
People in Mesopotamia, especially the Sumerians, made many achievements
They created innovations in agriculture, measurements, building, and transportation
They were perhaps the first to use the wheel, the sailboat, and writing
These innovations helped the people of Mesopotamia build an early civilization
Summary