Ancient Sumer
History

Facts about ancient Sumer

We found 18 facts about ancient Sumer

The mysterious people of antiquity

We know little about them, but what we have established makes you dizzy. A people of unknown origin who created a civilization that was the cradle of the cultures of the Middle East and Europe. Without a doubt, Sumer can be called the most modern ancient civilization.

Ancient Sumer
1
They appeared in Mesopotamia between 5,000 and 4,000 B.C.
2
The Sumer civilization is considered the first civilization on Earth.
It is assumed that the peak of the development of their civilization was in the years 3 750 - 2 004 B.C.
3
The origin of the Sumer is the subject of considerable research and speculation.
The dominant hypothesis is that they came from across the Persian Gulf, from the Arabian Peninsula, or the Indian subcontinent. Some respondents suggest they inhabited the Himalayas and could also have come from Tibet. Supporters of the theory of the extraterrestrial pace of development of the Sumer express the belief that they came from space.
4
The Sumerian language is an isolated language.
This means that it has no connection to any language we know, be it ancient or modern. Research into the Sumerian language has been going on for over 150 years.
5
The Sumer used cuneiform script, which dates back to the period between 3,300 and 3,100 B.C.
Initially, it had the form of pictograms, that later were transformed into word-syllable. Cuneiform writing is considered the oldest writing in the world.
6
One of the most famous writings of the Sumer is the Sumerian King List, also known as the Chronicle of the One Monarchy.
It was written at the end of the third millennium B.C. and contains a list of the kings and dynasties ruling the Sumer. The work is semi-legendary, and the information it contains is constantly verified by scientists.
7
The cities of Sumer were administratively divided into states ruled by governors (Ensi) or kings (Lugal).
In each city-state, there was a temple of one deity professed by the Sumer.
8
Eridu is considered the first city founded by the Sumer.
It is also believed to be the oldest city on Earth.
9
The Sumer left behind the oldest medical textbook, dating back to around 2,200 BC.
Medicine was one of the most highly developed scientific fields of the Sumer civilization.
10
The most characteristic buildings of the Sumer civilization were ziggurats.
These are temple buildings with a stepped terrace structure. Currently, the best-preserved is the Ziggurat of Ur - built around 2100 B.C. Originally it was 21 meters high.
11
The city of Uruk, which played a key role in the early urbanization of the Sumer, had a population ranging between 50,000 and 80,000.
Research indicates that all residents lived in an area of ​​6 square kilometers. It was the largest city in the world known. It probably only emptied just before the Muslim conquest of Persia in 651 A.D.
12
Among the extant Sumerian records, there is information about the catastrophic great flood.
One hypothesis is that a meteorite hit the Indian Ocean between 3,000 and 2,800 B.C., which caused the tsunami wave.
13
The most famous ruler of the period of the Sumer civilization is Gilgamesh.
He is the historic king of the city of Uruk, with a lot of legends surrounding him, making it difficult for scientists to establish the facts of his life and reign. The Sumerian List of Kings shows he ruled for 126 years. The most credible hypothesis so far seems to be that he built walls around the city he ruled. He is the hero of the Akkadian Epic of Gilgamesh.
14
The Sumer left behind the oldest set of laws found so far - the Ur-Nammu code, which dates back to the 22nd - 21st century B.C.
Two clay tablets were found during the excavations at Nippur in 1902, and only three articles have been deciphered - the first, the fifth, and the tenth. It is not known what issues this code regulated, but we know it was a model for, among others, the famous stele of Hammurabi.
15
We owe the Sumer the invention of the wheel.
16
In order to take advantage of the fertile lands they inhabited, the Sumer invented the plow.
It is also suspected they developed an irrigation system.
17
They are also credited with inventing the chariot around 3,200 B.C.
18
The Sumer based their mathematical system on the number 60. As early as 3000 B.C., it was common to use multiplication, division, and exponentiation.
Hungry for more facts?
Subscribe to Google News Random topic
20 facts about Axum Empire
20 facts about Axum Empire
One of the most advanced ancient civilizations
The Axum Empire was one of the most remarkable powers of the ancient world. Located in the northern part of modern Ethiopia and Eritrea, it once domin ...
26 facts about Mohenjo-daro
26 facts about Mohenjo-daro
The mound of the dead men
More than five thousand years ago, in the Indus Valley (now Pakistan), there was a mysterious civilization, called the Indus Civilization. It was one ...
18 facts about Göbekli Tepe
18 facts about Göbekli Tepe
The oldest known cult site
The archaeological site of Göbekli Tepe has changed the way archaeologists think about the beginnings of civilization. The site is considered the olde ...
21 facts about Mali Empire
21 facts about Mali Empire
The medieval state of the Mandé peoples
The origins of Mali's empire date back to the early 13th century, when the country's first ruler won a victory at the Battle of Kuolikoro and took con ...
26 facts about Temple of Artemis
26 facts about Temple of Artemis
Artemesium
Artemis was one of the most prominent gods of ancient Greece. She was the daughter of Zeus and Letho and a twin sister of Apollo. Ephesians devoted to ...

Latest topics

42 facts about Kyshtym disaster
42 facts about Kyshtym disaster
The first nuclear accident in Earth's history
Before information about it saw the light of day, the Soviets hid it for over 30 years. The explosion at the Mayak combine was the first nuclear accid ...
37 facts about Saint Petersburg
37 facts about Saint Petersburg
A city of many names
It was a dream and a matter of prestige for the Romanov dynasty to gain access to the Baltic Sea and build a metropolis to testify to Russia's emergin ...
32 facts about Peter the Great
32 facts about Peter the Great
The first Emperor of all Russia
Peter the Great is considered one of Russia's greatest rulers. He was a great reformer, strategist, and builder who was the first of the tsars to trav ...
39 facts about Dyatlov Pass incident
39 facts about Dyatlov Pass incident
Mysterious tragedy in the Ural mountains
The case of a group of students at the Ural Polytechnical Institute in Sverdlovsk continues to arouse great interest and raise many questions. A group ...
11 facts about Brooklyn Bridge
11 facts about Brooklyn Bridge
The first steel suspension bridge in the world
It is one of the oldest suspension bridges in the world. It connects Brooklyn with Manhattan, runs over the East River, and was completed in 1883. ...
31 facts about Brazil
31 facts about Brazil
South America's largest country
Brazil is the largest and most populous country in South America and one of the largest and most populous countries in the world. A former Portuguese ...
44 facts about Ghent
44 facts about Ghent
City of three towers
Ghent is one of Belgium's most visited cities by tourists. This beautiful old Flanders city combines dignity, beauty, culture, and creativity. It is a ...
31 facts about Thailand
31 facts about Thailand
A country on the Indochinese Peninsula
Thailand is an Asian country located in its south-eastern part, famous for its interesting culture and religious architecture. This exotic country, wh ...

Similar topics

Axum Empire
20 facts about Axum Empire
The Axum Empire was one of the most remarkable powers of the ancient world. Located in the northern part of modern Ethiopia and Eritrea, it once domin ...
Mohenjo-daro
26 facts about Mohenjo-daro
More than five thousand years ago, in the Indus Valley (now Pakistan), there was a mysterious civilization, called the Indus Civilization. It was one ...
Göbekli Tepe
18 facts about Göbekli Tepe
The archaeological site of Göbekli Tepe has changed the way archaeologists think about the beginnings of civilization. The site is considered the olde ...
Mali Empire
21 facts about Mali Empire
The origins of Mali's empire date back to the early 13th century, when the country's first ruler won a victory at the Battle of Kuolikoro and took con ...
Temple of Artemis
26 facts about Temple of Artemis
Artemis was one of the most prominent gods of ancient Greece. She was the daughter of Zeus and Letho and a twin sister of Apollo. Ephesians devoted to ...
Stonehenge
16 facts about Stonehenge
Despite insightful archaeological research, we have not yet fully understood the method of construction and the purpose of Stonehenge to this day. Unf ...
Great Sphinx of Giza
12 facts about Great Sphinx of Giza
The Great Sphinx is one of the world’s largest and most distinctive sculptures and one of Egypt’s most famous tourist attractions. According to some r ...
Great Pyramid of Giza
23 facts about Great Pyramid of Giza
It was built by the sweat of a hundred (or three hundred and twenty) thousand workers, an unimaginable engineering and logistical task. Granite blocks ...
Lighthouse of Alexandria
18 facts about Lighthouse of Alexandria
For hundreds of years it pointed the way for sailors to the port of Alexandria. Unfortunately it did not survive to our time, the information about th ...
Petra
26 facts about Petra
Petra is an amazing, old necropolis carved into the rock in ancient times. A narrow ravine, which can only be crossed on foot or on the back of an ani ...
Masada
19 facts about Masada
The ancient fortress located on the Dead Sea was the site of bloody battles between Jewish insurgents and the Romans. The Zealots' attitude in defendi ...
Hypatia
22 facts about Hypatia
She lived at the turn of the fourth and fifth centuries. She embodied the ideal of the ancient scholar. Hypatia was a mathematician and a well-trained ...