Political power originally belonged to the citizens, but as rivalry between the various city-states increased, each adopted the institution of kingship.Įach city-state was believed to be under the rule of a local god or goddess and their temples dominated the towns architecture. Each of these cities contained public buildings, markets, workshops, and advanced water systems, and were surrounded by villages and land for agriculture.
Beginning around 3500 BC, the Sumerians began to build walled cities, including Ur, the capital of the civilization. Located in what the ancient Greeks called Mesopotamia, meaning "the land between the rivers," Sumer was a collection of city-states or cites that were also independent nations, some of which endured for 3,000 years. Hundreds of thousands of these tablets have survived, providing a window into Sumerian culture, economy, law, literature, politics, and religion. The Sumerians devised one of the earliest writing system known as cuneiform or wedge-shaped symbols. The tablets were then dried in the sun to preserve the text. However, probably the most famous legacy is their writing system. They also developed a numerical system, based on the number 60 that is still used to measure seconds and minutes. They are credited with the establishing codes of law, the plow, the sailboat, and a lunar calendar. The Sumerians were among the first known cultures to develop many benchmarks that are used to define a "civilization”. The Akkadians would follow the Sumerians, borrowing from their culture, producing a new language of their own, and creating the world’s first empire. By the 4 th millennium BC, it had established an advanced system writing, spectacular arts and architecture, astronomy and mathematics. Located in the southernmost part of Mesopotamia between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers (modern day Iraq), Sumer was often called the cradle of civilization. The Sumerians were the first known people to settle in Mesopotamia over 7,000 years ago. ( Fredsvenn) Sumer: A Cradle of Civilization Nevertheless, some gods and goddesses feature more significantly in the religion of Sumer, and thus may be considered to be the main deities of the Sumerian pantheon. It has been estimated that the deities in Sumerian pantheon numbered in the hundreds or even in the thousands.
Some of these deities also had their counterparts in the religion of other Mesopotamian peoples. These deities were anthropomorphic beings, and were meant to represent the natural forces of the world. Typically, a slave bought at auction cost less than a donkey but more than a cow.The Sumerian religion was polytheistic in nature, and the Sumerians worshipped a great number of deities. Records have been found recording the amount paid for a slave. Slaves worked for the king, the temple, and the wealthy. The Slaves: When the Sumerians conquered another town, they brought prisoners back with them to serve as slaves. They wore jewelry, although perhaps it was not made of gold. There was no law that said the lower class could not move up the social scale, and most worked hard so that their children could move up the social scale by becoming a scribe, or a priest or priestess. They followed the clothing fashions of the time as much as possible. They worked very hard, but they had homes.
Although the lower class did not have the luxurious lifestyle of the rich, they were comfortable. Everybody paid for the things they received, even the king. Stealing was a serious crime and punishment was severe. If they ran a shop or worked in the fields, they were paid for their goods or labor. The Lower Class: In ancient Sumer, people were paid for their work.