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Why do we know about Sumerian Civilization?
They left written records
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Facts about Sumer
- Only boys were educated and had power and wealth
- Created 60 minute hour, 60 second minute 360 degree circle and use geometry to measure fields.
- 12 month calendar based on cycles of the moon
- Impossible to live forever if you are not a god
- Sumerian City States would always go to war with other city states to gain more territory and power
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What is Polytheism?
Belief in many gods
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What is a ziggurat?
- Hill of Heaven or Mountain of God
- Large temple that only priests are allowed to enter
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How are city states separated?
Distance and land forms, mud and scorching deserts
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How would city states protect themselves?
Surround themselves with a wall
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Who headed Sumerian City States and what did they do?
- Kings
- Ran government
- Led armies
- Led Building Projects
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Main Jobs in Sumeria
- Farming
- Artisans
- Merchants/Traders - traveled to other cities to trade for things Sumer did not have
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What were the 3 social classes in Sumer?
- Upper - Kings, priests, government
- Middle - Artisans, merchants, farmers, fishers
- Lower - Slaves
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Greatest Sumerian Invention
Writing. Cuneiform. Allowed people to keep records and pass on ideas. Only a few people learned how to write - scribes
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Cuneiform
- Marks cut into a damp clay tablet with sharp reed
- All symbols have triangle
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Epic
- Long poem that tells about adventures of hero
- Example - Gilgamesh, a king who travels around the world and performs great deeds
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Scribes
- Number system
- government
- songs, prayers, poems
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