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Sumerians Research Paper

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The Sumerians

Sumer was the first urban civilization in Mesopotamia, which was itself the world’s first civilization. Sumer was located in modern day Iraq, between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, and it contained a population of between .8 million to 1.5 million people. The Sumerians are known for cuneiform writing and creating the first legal code. The Sumerians were a complex and mysterious people. Below are some facts about this early civilization.

1. The Sumerians were constantly at war with each other. Sumer was comprised of about twelve city-states. Though they shared a common language and culture, they fiercely protected their borders and built walls around each city-state. The constant infighting led to advances in military strategy …show more content…

The origin of the Sumerians is unknown. The Sumerians arrived in Southern Mesopotamia around 4000 B.C.E. and ruled over the region from 3500-2300 B.C.E. No one knows where they came from or precisely when they arrived. Their language and writing was unlike any other in the area.
3. Sumerian culture influenced other civilizations. Many other cultures, such as the Babylonians and the Assyrians, borrowed from the Sumerian language and also used their religion and literature. The Sumerians made advancements in science that were also passed down to the Babylonians and. Assyrians.
4. The city of Eridu could be the first city in the world. Sumer was the first civilization within Mesopotamia, and Mesopotamia is regarded as the world’s first true civilization. Eridu was the first city in Sumer, founded sometime around 5400 B.C.E. on the Persian Gulf coast. The first settlers established agriculture by draining marshes, set up trade, and developed their own industries.
5. The Sumerian language was unique. Sumerian is a language isolate, meaning that it does not belong to any known language family. It did influence other languages, and cuneiform writing was borrowed by other languages. Sumerian was still used as a written language until the first century

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