Was Ancient Sumer a Civilization? Notes
Key Words:
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Civilization: a society marked by developed arts, sciences, government, and social structure
social structure: the way a civilization is organized
Technology: the use of tools and other inventions for practical purposes
Merchant: a person who makes money by selling goods
Artisan: a craftsperson
Scribe: a person who writes
Ziggurat: an ancient Mesopotamian temple tower with outside staircases and a shrine at the top
culture: a characteristic of civilization that includes the beliefs and behaviors of a society or group of
people
cuneiform: writing that uses wedge-shaped characters
pictograph: a symbol that stands for an object
challenges: a task or problem that tests a person’s abilities
create: to bring something new into being
Luxury: a way of life that offers much more than what is necessary
Networks: an interconnected system of channels or lines
Professional: someone who is trained in a
particular career
Standard of Ur
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Came from a Royal Cemetery in Ur
was probably constructed in the form of a hollow
wooden box with scenes of war and peace
represented on each side through elaborately
inlaid mosaics
shell, limestone bitumen , lapis lazuli,
(semiprecious blue stone found beyond the
Zagros Mountains)
Trade
Characteristics of a Civilization
5.2: Characteristics of a Civilization
• a stable food supply, to ensure that the people of a society have the food they need to
survive
• a social structure with different social levels and jobs
• a system of government, to ensure that life in the society is orderly
• a religious system, which involves both a set of beliefs and forms of worship
• a highly developed way of life that includes the arts, such as painting, architecture,
music, and literature
• advances in technology
• a highly developed written language
5.3: A Stable Food Supply
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Invention #1: Irrigation System.
System of canals and reservoirs
allowed Sumerian farmers to regularly
water their crops.
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Invention #2: Plow
helped farmers prepare the soil for planting
made farming faster
producing more food
Possible artifacts for “stable food supply”:
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The Clay Tablet relates to this characteristic of civilization because it tells that the Sumerians raised
barley.
The Seal with Two Gods relates to this characteristic of civilization because it shows one of the
Sumerian gods using a plow to prepare a field for planting.
5.4: Social Structure
Top
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Priests
Landowners
government officials
had the nicest homes and lived in the center of the city.
Middle
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Bottom
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Merchants and artisans made and sold tools and luxury items
Farmers and fishers lived in small houses at the edge of the city,
and farmers served in the army.
Slaves had no property and lived with their owners.
Possible artifacts for “social structure”:
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The Clay Tablet relates to this characteristic of civilization because it indicates that there were classes of
scribes and workers.
The Seal of King relates to this characteristic of civilization because it shows a class of government
workers.
The Chariot relates to this characteristic of civilization because it shows a military class.
The Gold Cup relates to this characteristic of civilization because it indicates that there were artisans and
an upper class.
5.5: Government
Religious influences on government:
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Religious beliefs made the government more powerful because the Sumerian people obeyed the will of
their gods, and the gods chose the kings.
Government Duties in Sumerian city-states
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recording (scribes) and enforcing laws
collecting taxes
building temples
maintaining and patrolling irrigation canals
leading the army
Possible artifacts for “government”:
 The Clay Tablet relates to this characteristic of civilization because it shows that government officials
distributed grain.
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The Seal of King relates to this characteristic of civilization because it indicates that there were
governors and a king.
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The Chariot relates to this characteristic of civilization because it shows that there was an army.
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The King with Basket relates to this characteristic of civilization because it illustrates that there was a
king.
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The Lyre relates to this characteristic of civilization because it indicates that there was a queen.
5.6: Religion
Religious System: includes worship practices and a set of beliefs
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Religion was important in Sumer because it influenced every part of daily life.
Sumerians expressed their religious beliefs:
o building temples and ziggurats
o creating statues
o participating in religious ceremonies
Possible artifacts for “religion”:
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The Married Couple relates to this characteristic of civilization because it was found in a shrine and
may have been a gift to the gods.
The Seal with Two Gods relates to this characteristic of civilization because it shows two Sumerian
gods.
The King with Basket relates to this characteristic of civilization because it indicates that one of the
king’s duties was to build temples.
5.7: Arts
Artists in Sumer:
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Metalworkers created practical objects and decorative items.
Architects designed temples and ziggurats.
Musicians played instruments and sang during ceremonies.
o Music was an important art in Sumer because the Sumerians believed that it brought joy to the
people and to the gods.
Possible artifacts for “the arts”:
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The Married Couple relates to this characteristic of civilization because it shows that there were
sculptors.
The Gold Cup relates to this characteristic of civilization because it shows that there were skilled
metalworkers
The King with Basket relates to this characteristic of civilization because it shows that there were
metalworkers, and architects for the temples.
The Lyre relates to this characteristic of civilization because it shows that the Sumerians had music.
5.8: Technology
• people had to move goods in
sledges
After the
Wheel
• used wheeled carts to carry heavier
loads over longer distances
Before the
Wheel
The Arches above a doorway added strength and beauty to Sumerian buildings
Possible artifacts for “technology”:
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The Seal with Two Gods relates to this characteristic of civilization because it shows the invention of the
plow.
The Seal of King relates to this characteristic of civilization because it shows that the Sumerians used the
cylinder seal as a tool to create the image on clay.
The Chariot relates to this characteristic of civilization because it shows that the Sumerians had
developed the wheel.
The Gold Cup relates to this characteristic of civilization because it shows artisans’ use of technology
and resources.
5.9: Writing
History: written records of events of the past
Symbols that stand
for real objects.
earlier form of
writing
Cuneiform
Pictograph
Pre-history: a period of time before written records
used a wedge shaped stylus on
clay tablets
symbols that stand for ideas or
sounds
developed around 2400 BCE
used to record information
about the goods exhanged with
each other
This method was better than
pictographs because it allowed
Sumerians to exchange more
detailed information with
eachother.
Possible artifacts for “writing”:
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The Clay Tablet relates to this characteristic of civilization because it has writing on it.
The Seal with Two Gods relates to this characteristic of civilization because it has writing on it.
The Seal of King relates to this characteristic of civilization because it has writing on it.
The King with Basket relates to this characteristic of civilization because it has writing on it.