Sumer+(Drew+3rd+Period)

Sumer Sumer was the region which included city states that developed along the rivers of Southern Mesopotamia from 3500 to 2340 BCE. They are believed to be the first to invent the wagon wheel and the plow. The Sumerian people also created a form of writing called cuneiform that would impact future inhabitants. Sumer was a very religious community as well as an intense agriculture community. Cuneiform: Cuneiform was a monumental invention for the Sumerians. It worked by having a stylus press wedged shaped symbols into a clay tablet. Overtime cuneiform changed from pictographs to lines with triangles on their ends. Writing hadn’t been introduced to the Mesopotamian area before this time so this showed the intellect and power of Sumer.

Votive Figures: These figures are made out of limestone and created to look like a specific individual. They were usually placed in front of a shrine dedicated to a god. On them they might have an inscription of what they did to please the god or asking a favor of it. These showed how the Sumerian culture was very religious and dedicated their lives to their gods. Ziggurats: Ziggurats were a Sumerian invention. They were huge stepped structures with a temple or shrine at the top of them. They were usually dedicated to gods which is why only priests and royalty were allowed to go up on them. These showed the power of the Sumerian rulers because they were so massive, it took a lot of time and engineering to create them. Cylinder Seals: These were a Sumerian inventions originally intended to identify certain documents or property lines. Later they became used for art and decoration as well. They were generally made out of hard stone such as marble or lapis lazuli. Later cylinder seals were also used as art with pictures telling a story. Image Souces: []

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