The rise and fall of history’s first empire - Soraya Field Fiorio

Summary

The Sumerian civilization, emerging from the Mesopotamian region of modern-day Iraq, was the world's first empire. Despite the arid landscape, Sumerians developed agriculture through irrigation, leading to the construction of the first cities using mud bricks. They invented the wheel and established a complex social structure with city-states, each with a king and a patron deity. Trade and the need for accounting led to the creation of cuneiform, the first writing system, which facilitated the drafting of laws and the establishment of the first schools. Sumer's cultural influence spread through conquests and adoption by other civilizations, such as the Akkadians and Babylonians, who further disseminated Sumerian inventions and traditions to later cultures. Despite the civilization's eventual decline, its legacy endures in the foundations of modern society.

Takeaways

• 🏺 Sumerians built the world's first cities using mud bricks, despite the lack of trees and stones.
• 🌾 They developed agriculture through irrigation techniques, redirecting water from the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.
• 🏙️ The first cities, such as Uruk, Ur, and Eridu, emerged around 4500 BCE, with a social hierarchy led by priests and priestesses.
• 🛠️ The Sumerians invented the wheel, initially in the form of a potter's wheel for crafting household items.
• 📚 They created the world's first writing system, cuneiform, which started as a system of accounting and evolved into a script.
• 🛣️ Around 3200 BCE, Sumerians expanded their reach through trade networks, importing valuable resources from other regions.
• 🚢 Innovations in transportation included the use of the potter's wheel on chariots and wagons, and the construction of boats for river and sea travel.
• 🏛️ Each city had a ziggurat, a temple dedicated to its patron deity, which was the largest and most important building in the city.
• 📜 Sumerians established the first school system, where scribes learned accounting, mathematics, and literature.
• 🌐 Despite invasions and the decline of the Sumerian people by 1750 BCE, their culture and inventions influenced subsequent civilizations.
• ⏳ Sumerian culture was rediscovered in the 19th century, and its legacy continues through contributions to language, law, and bureaucracy.

Q & A

What was the geographical location of the Sumerian civilization?

The Sumerian civilization was located in the southern part of modern Iraq, in a region known as Mesopotamia, which means 'between two rivers', referring to the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.

How did the Sumerians manage to farm in a landscape without rainfall?

The Sumerians used irrigation channels, dams, and reservoirs to redirect river water and farm large areas of previously dry land.

What was the significance of the invention of the potter's wheel by the Sumerians?

The potter's wheel was significant as it was used for turning mud into household goods and tools, and later it found a new application on chariots and wagons, aiding in the expansion of their reach.

What materials did the Sumerians primarily use to construct their cities?

The Sumerians primarily used clay bricks made from river mud to build their cities, which included multi-storied homes and temples.

How did the social structure of Sumerian cities look like?

The social structure was hierarchical, with priests and priestesses at the top, considered as nobility, followed by merchants, craftspeople, farmers, and enslaved people.

What was the nature of the Sumerian empire and how was it organized?

The Sumerian empire consisted of distinct city-states that operated like small nations. They were loosely linked by language and spiritual belief but lacked centralized control.

Who were the earliest known city-states of the Sumerian civilization?

The earliest cities of the Sumerian civilization were Uruk, Ur, and Eridu.

What was the role of a king in a Sumerian city-state?

Each Sumerian city had a king who served a role somewhere between a priest and a ruler, often involved in both religious and administrative duties.

How did the Sumerians expand their reach around 3200 BCE?

The Sumerians expanded their reach by using the potter's wheel on chariots and wagons, building boats out of reeds and date palm leaves, and establishing a trade network with rising kingdoms in Egypt, Anatolia, and Ethiopia.

What was the impetus for the invention of the world's first writing system by the Sumerians?

The invention of the world's first writing system, cuneiform, started as a system of accounting for Sumerian merchants conducting business with traders abroad.

What were the subjects taught in the first school system created by the Sumerians?

The first school system taught the craft of writing, accounting, mathematics, and included copying works of literature, hymns, myths, proverbs, animal fables, magic spells, and the first epics on clay tablets.

How did the Sumerian civilization eventually disappear, and when was it rediscovered?

The Sumerian civilization disappeared due to a steady onslaught of invasions that killed off the Sumerian people by 1750 BCE. It was not rediscovered until the 19th century.

Outlines

00:00

🏺 The Emergence of Sumerian Civilization

The first paragraph details the rise of the Sumerian Empire in Mesopotamia, a region between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. Despite a harsh environment, the Sumerians developed sophisticated irrigation techniques to farm the land, leading to the creation of the world's first cities around 4500 BCE. They built with mud bricks, invented the potter's wheel, and established a complex social hierarchy with priests, merchants, and farmers. The Sumerian city-states were independent yet shared a common language and religion. Each city had a king and was dedicated to a patron deity, with the ziggurat being the central temple. The Sumerians expanded their influence through trade, developed the cuneiform writing system for accounting, and created the first written laws and school system. The paragraph also discusses the spread of Sumerian culture through invasions and the eventual decline of the Sumerian people by 1750 BCE.

05:00

🌐 The Legacy of Sumerian Culture

The second paragraph outlines the lasting impact of Sumerian culture, which was passed down through various civilizations including the Akkadians, Assyrians, and Babylonians. The Babylonians, in particular, disseminated Sumerian inventions and traditions to other cultures such as the Hebrews, Greeks, and Romans. Some of these cultural elements continue to be a part of modern society, demonstrating the enduring influence of the Sumerian civilization.

Keywords

💡Mesopotamia

Mesopotamia refers to the region between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, where the Sumerian civilization emerged. It is significant as the cradle of one of the world's first empires, characterized by its innovative use of irrigation and monumental architecture. The term illustrates the geographical context of the Sumerian civilization and its reliance on river water for agriculture and city-building.

💡Irrigation

Irrigation is the artificial application of water to land to assist in growing crops. In the context of the Sumerian civilization, it was a key technology that allowed them to farm large areas of previously arid land. This innovation was crucial for the growth of their agricultural communities and the subsequent rise of their cities.

💡Clay bricks

Clay bricks were a fundamental building material for the Sumerians, made from river mud. They used these bricks to construct multi-storied homes and temples, which were the architectural hallmarks of their cities. The use of clay bricks is a testament to the Sumerians' ingenuity in overcoming the lack of traditional building materials in their environment.

💡Wheel

The invention of the wheel by the Sumerians, initially as a potter's wheel for crafting mud into household goods and tools, revolutionized their society. Later, the concept was adapted for transportation, with the wheel finding a place on chariots and wagons, facilitating trade and expansion. The wheel's invention is a prime example of the Sumerians' technological advancements.

💡City-states

The Sumerian empire was composed of distinct city-states, which functioned like small nations. These city-states were loosely connected by language and spiritual beliefs but lacked a centralized control system. Each city-state had its own king and was dedicated to a patron deity, with the ziggurat, a stepped pyramid temple, serving as the city's focal point.

💡Ziggurat

A ziggurat is a type of stepped pyramid temple that served as the home of the patron deity of a Sumerian city-state. The largest and most important building in each city, the ziggurat symbolized the city's religious and cultural identity. It was a central place for religious ceremonies and a symbol of the city's prosperity and power.

💡Trade network

The Sumerians established a trade network to supplement their scarce resources, importing valuable goods like gold, silver, lapis lazuli, and cedar wood from kingdoms in Egypt, Anatolia, and Ethiopia. This trade network was a significant factor in the Sumerian economy and led to the invention of the world's first writing system for accounting purposes.

💡Cuneiform

Cuneiform is the world's first known writing system, developed by the Sumerians as a means of accounting for their trade activities. Initially a system of pictograms, it evolved into a script that allowed for complex record-keeping and communication. Cuneiform is a critical invention that facilitated administration, law, and literature, and it was later adopted by other civilizations.

💡Scribes

Scribes were individuals trained in the art of writing and were essential to the Sumerian civilization. They studied accounting, mathematics, and literature, copying works onto clay tablets. Scribes were responsible for drafting laws, maintaining records, and creating literary works, such as the epic of Gilgamesh. Their role was vital in the preservation and transmission of knowledge.

💡Gilgamesh

Gilgamesh was a historical king of Uruk and the subject of mythical tales. His story, recorded on clay tablets, is one of the first known epics and provides insight into the Sumerian culture, values, and beliefs. The tale of Gilgamesh is an example of the literature that scribes copied and studied, reflecting the rich narrative tradition of the Sumerians.

💡Akkadian Empire

The Akkadian Empire, led by King Sargon, conquered the Sumerian city-states around 2300 BCE. Despite the conquest, Sargon and the Akkadians respected and adopted many aspects of Sumerian culture, including the use of the cuneiform script. The Akkadian Empire's relationship with the Sumerians illustrates the cultural exchange and continuity that occurred despite political changes.

Highlights

History’s first empire emerged in a harsh environment without rainfall or natural resources for construction.

Inhabitants of Sumer built the world’s first cities using mud bricks.

Sumer was located in the Mesopotamia region, between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.

Around 5000 BCE, Sumerians used advanced irrigation techniques to farm previously dry land.

Sumerians were the first to construct multi-storied buildings using clay bricks.

The invention of the potter’s wheel revolutionized the production of household goods and tools.

The world’s first cities emerged around 4500 BCE, marked by monumental architecture and large populations.

Society in Sumerian cities was stratified, with priests and priestesses at the top.

The Sumerian empire was a collection of city-states with shared language and beliefs but no centralized control.

Key early cities included Uruk, Ur, and Eridu, each with its own king and patron deity.

Ziggurats, stepped pyramid temples, were the largest and most important structures in Sumerian cities.

Around 3200 BCE, Sumerians expanded their reach through the use of chariots, wagons, and boats.

Sumerians established a trade network, importing valuable resources from Egypt, Anatolia, and Ethiopia.

The need for trade accounting led to the invention of the world’s first writing system, cuneiform.

Sumerians developed the first written laws and created a school system to teach writing.

Scribes in Sumerian schools studied a wide range of subjects, from accounting to literature.

The Sumerian epic of Gilgamesh, a king of Uruk, was one of the first recorded stories.

Despite the rise of other empires, Sumerian culture continued to influence the region through the Akkadians, Assyrians, and Babylonians.

Sumerian inventions and traditions have been passed down through various cultures and some persist to this day.

Transcripts

History’s first empire rose out of a hot, dry landscape,

without rainfall to nourish crops, without trees or stones for building.

In spite of all this, its inhabitants built the world’s first cities,

with monumental architecture and large populations—

and they built them entirely out of mud.

Sumer occupied the southern part of modern Iraq

in the region called Mesopotamia.

Mesopotamia means “between two rivers”—

the Tigris and the Euphrates.

Around 5000 BCE, early Sumerians used irrigation channels, dams, and reservoirs

to redirect river water and farm large areas of previously bone-dry land.

Agricultural communities like this were slowly springing up around the world.

But Sumerians were the first to take the next step.

Using clay bricks made from river mud,

they began to build multi-storied homes and temples.

They invented the wheel—

a potter’s wheel, for turning mud into household goods and tools.

Those clay bricks gave rise to the world’s first cities,

probably around 4500 BCE.

At the top of the city’s social ladder were priests and priestesses,

who were considered nobility,

then merchants, craftspeople, farmers, and enslaved people.

The Sumerian empire consisted of distinct city-states

that operated like small nations.

They were loosely linked by language and spiritual belief

but lacked centralized control.

The earliest cities were Uruk, Ur, and Eridu,

and eventually there were a dozen cities.

Each had a king who served a role somewhere between a priest and a ruler.

Sometimes they fought against each other to conquer new territories.

Each city was dedicated to a patron deity, considered the city’s founder.

The largest and most important building in the city was this patron god’s home:

the ziggurat, a temple designed as a stepped pyramid.

Around 3200 BCE, Sumerians began to expand their reach.

The potter’s wheel found a new home on chariots and wagons.

They built boats out of reeds and date palm leaves,

with linen sails that carried them vast distances by river and sea.

To supplement scarce resources, they built a trade network

with the rising kingdoms in Egypt, Anatolia, and Ethiopia,

importing gold, silver, lapis lazuli, and cedar wood.

Trade was the unlikely impetus

for the invention of the world’s first writing system.

It started as a system of accounting for Sumerian merchants

conducting business with traders abroad.

After a few hundred years, the early pictogram system

called cuneiform turned into a script.

The Sumerians drafted up the first written laws

and created the first school system, designed to teach the craft of writing—

and pioneered some less exciting innovations, like bureaucracy and taxes.

In the schools, scribes studying from dawn to dusk,

from childhood well into adulthood.

They learned accounting, mathematics, and copied works of literature—

hymns, myths, proverbs, animal fables, magic spells,

and the first epics on clay tablets.

Some of those tablets told the story of Gilgamesh,

a king of the city of Uruk who was also the subject of mythical tales.

But by the third millennium BCE, Sumer was no longer the only empire around,

or even in Mesopotamia.

Waves of nomadic tribes poured into the region from the north and east.

Some newcomers looked up to the Sumerians, adopting their way of life

and using the cuneiform script to express their own languages.

In 2300 BCE, the Akkadian king Sargon conquered the Sumerian city-states.

But Sargon respected Sumerian culture,

and Akkadians and Sumerians existed side-by-side for centuries.

Other invading groups focused only on looting and destruction.

Even as Sumerian culture spread,

a steady onslaught of invasions killed off the Sumerian people by 1750 BCE.

Afterward, Sumer disappeared back into the desert dirt,

not to be rediscovered until the 19th century.

But Sumerian culture lived on for thousands of years—

first through the Akkadians, then the Assyrians, then the Babylonians.

The Babylonians passed Sumerian inventions and traditions through

along Hebrew, Greek, and Roman cultures.

Some persist today.