Sumerians

Sumerians are the inhabitants or natural people of Sumer, Southern Mesopotamia , where Iraq and Kuwait are currently located.

For many years it was believed to have been the first civilization to develop in this region, located between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.

Studies show that human activity in Mesopotamia, however, predates 4000 BC.

Key Features of the Sumerians

Sumerian civilization excelled in several areas:political organization (city-states), architecture, agriculture, commerce.

The calendar appeared among these people in 2700 BC. Before that, cuneiform writing appears and, around 3200 BC, books also originate with the Sumerians.

The development of their trade guaranteed the wealth of this people. They produced and sold handicrafts, ceramics, as well as agricultural products, and were responsible for a very complex irrigation system.

The Sumerians were polytheistic, that is, they believed in the existence of several gods. There was a great cult, especially to Ishtar - the goddess of fertility -, who represents the forces of nature and whose symbol is a five-pointed star.

It is important to mention that nothing was known about this important people until the 19th century. The numerous discoveries are due to scholars who were brought to the region to try to confirm the stories told in the Bible.

The first cities in the world are Sumerian. Among them, the most important are:Adab , Eridu , Isin , Kullah , Lagash , Larsa , Nippur , Want , Uruk and Ur , which is considered the most powerful. The looting of the city of Ur in 2000 BC marks the end of Sumerian supremacy.

Know more:

• History and Origin of the Calendar
• History of Writing
• Code of Hammurabi

The Sumerian Language

Sumerian language was the language spoken by the Sumerians and was the first to be written through writing cuneiform , which was the first form of writing.

Using hundreds of symbols drawn from right to left (pictograms), cuneiform writing was made with instruments that were wedge-shaped.

The oldest records of Sumerian documents are a set of administrative texts dating back to 3200 BC; scholars, however, believe that they may belong to another language, since it contains a large number of ideograms that can be read in other languages.

Meet others people da Mesopotamia:

• Assyrians
• Hebrews
• Akkadians
• Ammonites
• Chaldeans
• People of Mesopotamia
• Questions about Mesopotamia