The Sumerians: The First Great Civilizations of History - See U in History

The history of the human race is filled with civilizations and empires, but that wasn't always the case. At the end of the Neolithic period, a great share of people still had a semi-nomadic lifestyle, wandering from one region to another in search of hunting and other food sources. With the dominance of agriculture and the domestication of animals, human beings began to create ever larger settlements, which allowed a considerable spike in population numbers. Around the year 4000 BC, some tribes started to settle in the south of ancient Mesopotamia, a region between Iraq, Iran, and Syria, bathed by the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. These tribes gave birth to what is probably the most important civilization in history, the Sumerians. The Sumerian civilization was fascinating, responsible for most of the breakthroughs during the Bronze Age. The Sumerians were pioneers in the drainage of swamps and irrigation system for crops. They possessed an intricate and properly developed language which facilitated trade and the exchange of knowledge with other peoples. The Sumerians also stood out for their artistic ability, developing fine crafts, and having great skill as artisans, marble, and wood sculpting, and creating beautiful bronze sculptures. And perhaps most importantly, they came up with the idea of writing. The Sumerians developed the cuneiform writing, with small, wedge-shaped objects and clay tablets to engrave the symbols. Cuneiform writing was sophisticated for that time. Using it, the Sumerians recorded the important events, even crafting poems and law codes. The texts written by the Sumerians range from mathematical calculations to the study of astronomy and medicine. Later, the cuneiform writing was adopted by other peoples such as the Babylonians, Hittites, and Assyrians. The Sumerians are also known for the improvement of tools such as hammers, mattocks, and picks. In addition to bronze weapons, with an impressive quality for that period, the Sumerians worshipped many different gods who were called Anunnaki, a group of deities responsible for the creation of humanity. These were associated with natural disasters such as floods and earthquakes as a form of punishment to humans for their sins. To the Sumerians, the Anunnaki were heavenly beings who came to Earth in search of gold, and to facilitate the mining of the precious metal, they gave birth to the human race. The fact that the Sumerians were considered the inventors of astronomy and studied the movement of the planets in the solar system fueled the belief in modern times that the gods Anunnaki were extraterrestrial beings who visited our world long ago and taught the early peoples how to grow food and build larger cities. The Sumerians founded the cities of Kish, Nippur, Uruk, Eridu, Lagash, and Ur which became important cultural and commercial hubs in the region. But these cities did not belong to a single kingdom, each had its autonomy as city-states, being ruled by its kings and maintaining its cultural traits. The city of Ur was particularly important among the Sumerian cities as an important center of trade in the region, with several religious temples such as the famous Great Ziggurat of Ur. The Sumerian kings often maintained peace, but sometimes they fought wars for the domination of new territories. The wealth of the Sumerians began to incite the ambition of other neighboring peoples, such as the Alamites and Amorites, who constantly attacked to plunder the Sumerian cities. These conflicts gave rise to the first written war in history. The war took place in 2700 BC between the Sumerians and the kingdom of the Elamites. The Sumerian king of the city of Kish was called Enme Baragesi. He led a Sumerian contingent against the kingdom of the Elamites. Back then, combat tactics could already make all the difference between victory or defeat. The Sumerians had trained and relatively disciplined soldiers who fought in shield-wall formations when needed. Probably the most fearsome weapon of the time was the war chariots, with two axles and pulled by four animals, horses, or donkeys. It is easy to imagine that the number of casualties was high during these battles. There was little protection and the combat was fought in close proximity. Also, there were carriages with units shooting darts, spears, and trying to run over the less fortunate soldiers. The Sumerians won the battle and recorded on a clay tablet, We continue to plunder the weapons of the Elamites. Over time, other peoples of Mesopotamia developed large cities and increasingly bigger and well-trained armies. The Sumerian civilization did not resist the military advance of several kingdoms and ended up succumbing. It is believed that climate change also caused a major drought in the region, which contributed to the decline and disappearance of the Sumerian culture. Albeit their tragic end, the Sumerians played a key role in the cultural and social development of the peoples of Mesopotamia. These new kingdoms made good use of the Sumerian legacy and thanks to their heritage, their names will be forever in history.