The people referred to as Sumerians resided in portions of Mesopotamia beginning from “3150 to 2350 B.C.E. and…. from 2060 to 1950 B.C.E.”. (Tullock, & McEntire, 2012, pg. 24) Although the Sumerians were responsible for several significant cities during their time, this was not their gift to humanity. First, they developed an early writing method known as cuneiform; also, they are responsible for the method which we use to tell time. Finally, historical research has led scholars to believe that the Sumerians built the first city of their time (Uruk) (Wilcox, 2014).
Meanwhile, the Akkadians began building a realm that challenged the Sumerians in Mesopotamia around “2350 B.C.E.” (Tullock, & McEntire, 2012, pg. 25). These people were descendants of Shem (Semites) and were responsible for numerous advances under their kings (Tullock, & McEntire, 2012). Moreover, the Akkadians built thoroughfares for easier travel, advanced crop watering technology to improve agriculture, and extended their region's imports and exports for greater
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financial stability (Wilcox, 2014). Also, the progressed their region especially in language and literature; in fact, they established the “first postal system using… tablets and cuneiform” (Wilcox, 2014, 42:12). The Amorites were originally a wandering Semitic people from that began creating territories in Mesopotamia roughly “1800 B.C.E.” (Tullock, & McEntire, 2012, p. 25). This influx of Amorites brought with it the transition from the Sumerian way of life (city-state) to the Amorite was of life (monarchical rule) (Wilcox, 2014). Within this evolution, the Amorites lowered monetary duties, abolished slave-type labor, and divided noble’s lands to farmers for agricultural purposes. Additionally, one king, in particular, Hammurabi, provided a set of rules governing the Amorites way of life, which eventually became renowned. Over the passage of time, the Hurrians settled into the Amorite region incorporating their people and customs into their own (Tullock, & McEntire, 2012).
The Hurrians transition into the Mitanni reign brought such prosperity that it equaled Egypt, Babylonia, and Assyria in power around 1350 B.C.E. (Wilcox, 2014). Also, their preservation of their inscriptions was beneficial as it helped scholar provide clarity to passages within the Bible. So, while prosperous for a period not as much is known about Hurrians as other groups of people.
While the information regarding the Arameans is often inconsistent, scholars believe them to be a Semitic group that lived around “Syria and Upper Mesopotamia” (Wilcox, 2014, 49:48). Although there is not significant information regarding the specifics of this people, they are possibly related to the first Amorites. However, academics presume that the Arameans are descendants of Nahor, which is Abram’s
brother. The information regarding the Habiru is interesting as it places them in numerous roles; as nomads, soldiers of fortune, and eventually forced laborers (Tullock, & McEntire, 2012). Even though there are likenesses between the Habiru and Hebrews such as; being slaves, background, and comparable names, they are different people (Wilcox, 2014). However, it is likely that the Habiru and Hebrews were inclusive with each other at various times. Finally, the Habiru appear to have existed as a group from “1800 to 1100 B.C.E.” (Wilcox, 2014, 49:17) due to references in historical documents. Lastly, the Hittites nation is stated by scholars to have resided within Asia Minor separate from the fertile crescent (Tullock, & McEntire, 2012). Additionally, the Hittites are likely descendants of Noah via Heth (Wilcox, 2014). Moreover, the Hittites battled to expand their empire down from Mitanni, Syria, and Lebanon; however, the significance of this expansion is that the Hittites’ land was promised to the Hebrews by God in the Old Testament. Eventually, the Hittites are referred to in the latter Old Testament as allies of the Hebrews, which shows the fulfillment of God’ promise.
Without the Mesopotamians we would not have all the luxury we have today. Could you ever imagine a world without writing? You may think, life would not be so bad without it, but without writing we would not have stories, we could not write to the bank, we could not text. Two major contributions made to society were the first forms of writing known as Cuneiform and Hammurabi’s Code.
As farming procedures improved and therefore allowed for surplus, the Sumerian civilization began to grow not only in numbers, but also in the complexity of how it functioned on every level; its religious leaders became more powerful, its degree of specialization more complex and inventions and discoveries came fast...
The Epic of Gilgamesh is generally regarded as the greatest literature about tales of a great king. The Epic of Gilgamesh served to show us a lot of things. The time period of BCE is very blurry, and this story attempts to describe many different things in not only Sumerian beliefs, but also Sumerian's culture as a whole. Like many stories from BCE the truth itself is questionable, even though a lot of the information is fact. The factual information that Gilgamesh teaches us about Sumerian Civilization is that had had many craftsman and artistic skills, and also a strong belief in Gods.
"The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature." Last modified 12 18, 2002. Accessed March 10, 2014. http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/index1.htm.
The school system of the Sumerians set the educational standards for Mesopotamia culture and other cultures to follow. Their studies included mathematics, botany and linguistics. Some students tha...
This Sumerian Government Constitution begins with its preamble, which summarizes the main principles that influence the articles that follow it. There is a few references paying homage to God because of the strong Islamic presence in the country. The ideas of universal suffrage and anti-discrimination are included as a means to show the more prevalent ideas of a democracy. Language of a more unified government is added to show that the central government shall be powerful and not one that allows more power to be given to the states making them prone to disobeying federal law. This idea comes from the weakness of the U.S. central government during the time of its articles of confederation. The states were at war with each other, did not obey federal law, and as a result countries did not trust doing business with such an unorganized state. I wanted to create a sense of nationalism in the preamble that stems from the Sumerian people overthrowing an iron fist authoritarian. Civic nationalism can sometimes be an appropriate choice for binding the people together as one nation;
Mesopotamia’s first invention was a form of writing called cuneiform which was written on clay tablets with a sharp reed called a stylus. This permitted for recording events and writing formal laws. The Sumerians, a civilization in Mesopotamia designed the wheel which was used to help transfer heavy objects to and from places. They also began constructing daggers, spears and chariots, which has led to their successful wars. The Mesopotamians were also responsible for the first laws and the discoveries of glass, sailboats, and ziggurats. With interest high in religion and mythology, Sumerians and their successors worshiped gods and goddesses just like Egyptians, Greeks, and Aegean cultures.
When analyzing ancient civilization and how it began, there are many elements and aspects that should be considered. Questions such as how did civilization begin? What lead to its creation? Where did it begin, and why in that particular location? Many of these questions can be examined and answered by researching what many believe is the world’s earliest civilization, Mesopotamia. It is widely believed that this region was chosen and supported one of the world’s first civilizations. This area was settled over 10,000 years ago by a group of people known as the Sumerians (Cunningham & Reich, 2010).
There were many ways that the Ancient Egyptian society and the Mesopotamian society were similar yet at the same time they were very different. Egyptians and Sumerians agreed on religion in a sense that both cultures were polytheistic. However, the relationships between the gods and goddesses were different between the Sumerians and Egyptians. This essay will discuss those differences in culture, religion and the viewpoints on death and afterlife.
We learn about ancient civilizations through literature, artifacts, and stories passed down from generation to generation. The Mesopotamian civilization is one of earth's earliest civilizations, and it's also one we know very little about. We can gather information about these people's way life, beliefs, and geographical location. The Epic of Gilgamesh, a literary work from this time period, shows us several important pieces of information that helps us understand this ancient civilization. This epic shows us the Mesopotamian peoples belief system, their views on death, and their description of the after life.
Soon after the Akkadians came the Amorites. They were also known as the old Babylonians. They built the city of Babylon and made it one of the biggest trade centers in the Middle East. Hammurabi was the King of the Amorites and was famous for the code of Hammurabi.
Centuries before Julius Cesar, Galileo, Aristotle, Socrates, and albert Einstein; There was an ancient civilization that arose out of nowhere. They Settled upon the Tigris, and Euphrates Rivers, known as the fertile crest of Mesopotamia. These settlers are known as the Sumerians. The Sumerians were an agricultural society, who lived off their crops and the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers to trade goods. So when presented the terrible question “Why they existed?” The Sumerians believed that they existed to serve their gods by worship and dedicated work. Through the Sumerian Literature, architecture, and artwork the Sumerians let their purpose be known.
The constructions of the temple-palace had large scale implications for the Mesopotamian landscape. It served as a symbolic entity for the city and towns that it was located in due to the tremendous height of these buildings that served as beacons that loomed over villages. These temples were perceived by many individuals who resided in these villages as homes for the deities. A wide cross section of villagers from various social backgrounds belonged to a particular temple in which they would worship. “The temple community comprised a cross section of the population: officials, priests, merchants, craftsmen, food-producers and slaves.” (174 Temple-Palace) Due to the great spiritual investment that was placed within these temples it prompted much time and labor to be invested into their construction. These temples also served as an outlet in which to take care of underprivileged citizens who were poor, orphaned or physically incapable of earning a living. Besides the fact that these temples provided support to the community it also supported the government sector as well. “The activities of the temple coordinated the construction of irrigation canals that often involved the cooperation of several communities.” (174 Temple-Palace) The temple-palace served a variety of integral roles to the villages and cities located within Mesopotamia. Temples intially did not immediately serve all these features within communities in Mesopotamia. Through examining specific periods on the Mesopotamian plain we will further understand how the temple-palaces evolved over the centuries within Mesopotamia and how they eventually became centralized within the community.
"5 Mesopotamian Inventions that Changed the World."Yahoo Voices. Yahoo 2013 Inc., 20 april 2012. Web. 20 Nov 2013. .
Ancient Mesopotamia was one of the first of the ancient civilizations. It formed in present-day northeastern Egypt, in the Fertile Crescent. The Fertile Crescent is a crescent-shaped region of good farmland created by the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. The first people to settle in Mesopotamia made important contributions to the world, such as wheeled vehicles, and an early form of writing called Cuneiform. Later, the Phoenicians here developed an alphabet much like the one we use today. Also, the Sumerians of this region developed algebra and geometry. Most importantly, the Sumerians made extensive irrigation systems, dikes, and canals to protect their crops from floods. The Great Hammurabi of Babylon, another empire in the Fertile Crescent, made the Code of Hammurabi. It was the first significant set of laws in history. Also, the Hittites and the Lydians settled in Mesopotamia. The Hittites developed a way to produce strong plows and weapons. The Lydians created a system of coined money. The contributions from the region of Mesopotamia in ancient times are still used today and are very useful.