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Civilization in Sumer
Vocabulary Words
• innovation • division of
labor • surplus • monarchy • absolute
authority
• bureaucracy • pictograph • cuneiform • social class • merchant
INNOVATION • A new way of doing things.
Division of Labor • The sharing of large jobs so that
each worker does only part of the work.
Surplus • Amount of product that is left after
needs are met.
Monarchy • The system of government in which a
king or queen rules.
Absolute Authority • A system of government in which
one person has complete control.
Bureaucracy • A governing group made up of
non-elected officials.
Pictograph • A drawing or symbol used to
represent a word or idea.
Cuneiform
• A form of writing that uses symbols to stand for words.
• Social Class
Social Class • Group of people in the same level
of importance in a society.
Merchant • Someone who buys or sells
goods.
Vocabulary Review
1. ____ Merchant 2. ____ Division of labor 3. _____ Social Class 4. _____ Monarchy 5. ______ Absolute
authority 6. _____ Bureaucracy
A. A system of government in which a king or queen rules.
B. A governing group made up of non elected officials.
C. Having complete control.
• One of the world’s first civilization formed in Mesopotamia in an area called Sumer.
• Sumerians are known for several achievements and innovations.
• Mesopotamia is known as an area between two rivers. • The rivers are Tigris and Euphrates. • Sumerians were able to grow
food because of the rich soil on the banks of the rivers.
Advances in Farming
• Sumer got little rainfall so the people had to find ways to use the river water for their crops. • They also had to find ways to
protect their crops from flooding (too much water) and drought (not enough water). • They found ways to change the
rivers.
Advances in Farming • Sumerians built dikes and
dams to control the flooding of the rivers.
Advances in Farming • They filled reservoirs to help them store
water during the drought, and canals to bring water during the dry season.
Advances in Farming • They were one of the first people
to use wheeled carts to carry crops and other heavy loads.
Advances in Farming
• Sumerians used division of labor in farming.
Advances in Farming • Sumerians knew that they had to
produce enough food or else there would be disaster. • They learned to be organized and
cooperate with each other.
1. What 5 innovations did Sumerians use to help them in farming?
2. Why was division of labor important in farming?
3. How did wheeled carts help Sumerians in farming?
Government in Sumer • Sumerians had a monarchy. • Each city- state had a ruler
called en. • The en had absolute
authority.
The en held an absolute power
Each city state had the en -‐ king
Leading the military Arranging trade
SeLling arguments
DirecMng public events
Government in Sumer
• Sumerian monarchs were considered to be great men that were chosen by gods.
Government in Sumer • Sumerians needed help to rule
over several lands and large areas so they created a bureaucracy. • The officials were priests or
religious leaders.
Sumerian rulers created first known
bureaucracy
Religious leaders
priests
Sumerian monarchs were called “great
men”
Governing group made up of
appointed officials
Government in Sumer
Bureaucratic officials
Choosing and marking lands
for farming
Distribute food to people
Keep track of food brought from the farm to the store.
Record amount of
food given to people.
List any surpluses used for trading
• The desire to keep records of FOOD led to Sumerian greatest contribution to world history -WRITING.
1. What form of government did Sumerians have?
2. Give two ways bureaucracy helped the Sumerian en (king).
3. What led the Sumerians to invent writing?
Writing and Other Innovations
• The first form of Sumerian writing was Pictographs.
Cuneiform – using symbols
instead of words
They improved their writing by using symbols to stand for words.
• Sumerians had three innovations for measuring.
1. Iku (acre)- used to measure land.
2. Quart- used to measure volume.
3. Calendar- used to measure time.
Other invenMons
Measuring systems
A standard unit for measuring an area of land – crop field – iku, now called
acre
A standard unit for volume – the
quart
Sumerian calendar Divided into 12 months based on the 28-‐day cycle of the moon
Made up of 12 lunar months; every three years extra
month was added
sailboats Mixed copper and
Mn to make bronze tools
Potter’s wheel
1. What are three Sumerian innovations for measuring?
2. How did Sumerians improve their greatest invention: Writing?
Divisions in Society • People in Sumer belonged to
different Social Classes. • There were three Social classes in
Sumer: 1. Ruling Class 2. Middle Class 3. Working Class
SUMERIAN SOCIAL CLASS
RULING CLASS King, government officials,
priests, religious leaders warriors
MIDDLE CLASS Less important government
officials, merchants, carpenters, craft workers, doctors, potters
WORKING OR LOWEST CLASS Slaves, farm workers
Divisions in Society • In all Sumerian societies, men held
more authority and independence than women. • Men held all the leadership roles,
though some women were religious leaders.
Divisions in Society • Sumerian women held more rights than
women of other ancient civilizations. 1. Sumerian women could own a
property. 2. Sumerian women could run a business. 3. Sumerian women were taught how to
read and write in Cuneiform.
Men • Had more rights than women • Held all the
leadership positions
• Had more independence
Women • Ruled family life • Important religious
leaders • Had more rights than
other ancient women • Could own property
and run businesses - Some were taught to
read and write
1. What are the social classes in Sumer?
2. What class has the most members?
3. How are women in Sumer different from women of other ancient civilizations?