The Sumerians were an ancient civilization that lived in Mesopotamia, specifically in the area between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. They are considered the first civilizations of mankind and formed the basis of the modern society we live in today.
Amazingly enough, Mesopotamia — or most of the Middle East today — was the birthplace of civilization. It’s a dry place where temperatures can soar to 52 degrees Celsius or 126 degrees Fahrenheit, with little rainfall. It’s also windy and sandy, prone to unpredictable flooding and mineral deficiencies. However, the river kept the land fertile, and human settlements spread throughout the valley.
This early population, or Ubaids, made great advances in agriculture, domestication, and raising cattle and other animals, which contributed to the development of diverse communities up and down the valley. They continued to weave textiles and make pottery. But they became experts at digging irrigation canals, which in a way extended their way of life even further.
Since then, the Sumerians have flourished. They learned how to use clay to make bricks, plates, and various household items, and used reeds extensively since they had no significant source of wood. They also invented the potter’s wheel, the wagon wheel, the sailboat, and the plow. Imagine if you didn’t have any of these items – the world as we know it today probably wouldn’t exist.
But in addition to all of these technologies that were considered groundbreaking at the time, the Sumerians were highly cultured, and their contributions to language, politics and government, architecture, music, and literature propelled humanity years into the future.
They invented cuneiform – their most important cultural gift to mankind – and thanks to the development of writing, the Sumerians were able to write their music and literature, which influenced the Epic of Gilgamesh. Civil engineering, sculpture, and architecture also flourished; their buildings were some of the largest in the world, with intricate details such as domes and arches. The earliest examples of written mathematics date back to the Sumerians. Eventually, they developed a timekeeping structure we still use today, the concept of sixty minutes per hour and sixty seconds per minute.
So what happened to the Sumerians, and what caused the downfall of such a powerful empire?
There were many culprits for Sumer’s decline, including the economic decline caused by prolonged drought. Food became scarce, and more and more nomadic tribes began to invade Sumerian territory to plunder. Their borders were constantly threatened, and eventually unable to repel the invaders, they were unfortunately conquered.
About 2,800 years, beginning in 4500 BC. until their final demise around 1750 BC. The Sumerians ruled the harsh but fertile territory until about 1000 B.C., when another rising civilization, the Babylonians, finally took over the land. Although the Sumerians have been absent for the past 4,000+ years, we still feel the profound influence of the Sumerians in many aspects of our daily lives today.
