History of Sumerians
Sumerians homeland in Mesopotamia, called Sumer, emerged roughly 6,000 years ago between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in present-day Iraq and Syria.
The Sumerians were popular for their farming, writing, mathematics and astronomy. By being situated at the confluence between two large rivers, Euphrates and Tigris, Sumerians were at an advantage as they were on a rich floodplain soil which had ample water to irrigate crops. Sumerians were known for their technological innovations like canals and plows. From growing food to building cities and temples, Sumerians came a long way.
People living in the Mesopotamian region, raised animals and grew grains, while hunting and gathering. Over time, with the expansion of villages, Sumerian people became increasingly dependent on farming.
At a site named Eridu, it was seen that temples were being constructed using mud bricks. Founded around 5400 B.C, Eridu was amongst the first city-states of the Sumerian civilization. Soon, a number of cities came up like Ur, Kish and Uruk. With the expansion of cities, Sumer emerged as one of the world’s first great agricultural societies. Uruk, being the largest city in the world now became quite known than Eridu.
The Sumerians and Mesopotamia
Sumerians: Sumerian civilization was an ancient civilization located in the Mesopotamian region situated between the confluence of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. Sumerians were popular for their contributions to the fields of language, governance, and architecture. The Sumerian civilization was from c. 5500 – c. 1800 B.C. It is said, that the Sumerians were there for 2,000 years before the Babylonians took charge in 2004 B.C.
In this article, Sumerians, their origin, Sumerian Language & Literature, Technology, Trade & Commerce, Art & Architecture, Religion, Science, Culture, Gilgamesh & the Decline of the Sumerians have been discussed.