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The Sumerians:  People, Their Art & Writing

For educational purposes; quote cited references when available--

 

 

THE SUMERIANS

 

The People, Their Art & Writing

 

For Comparison with Findings in South America

i(Contactos)

 

       Sumerian culture emerged about 4,000 B.C.E. on a floodplain along the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, which is now southern Iraq.  Sumerians are known for their cuneiform script, a vibrant religious and literary tradition and advancement in government, mathematics, urbanization and agriculture.  The discovery in South America of the Fuente Magna and other artifacts attests to their presence in ancient times.

 

       The Sumerian towns often numbered over 80,000 inhabitants, but they often waged war among their city-states.  At least one Sumerian woman was chosen as a ruler.  Their cuneiform writing prevailed for more than 3,000 years, and they produced the "Epic of Gilgamesh", which involves a historical person.  Merchants traveled to other lands and possessed ships that would have been capable of trans-Atlantic voyages, either accidental or intentional.  Their mathematic and measurement techniques survive to the 21st Century, and their agriculture developed some of our major food crops, such as wheat.  The first beer was invented.

 

       However, knowledge of Sumerian culture was lost for a few thousand until it was rediscovered in the 19th Century.  A theory of their Language formation was presented (Sumerian origins )

 

       Following are some images depicting the Sumerian people, their art and writing:

 

CLICK on photos to enlarge

 

Sumer 1 - Ancient Mesopotamia map #1

 

 

Sumer 2 - Bronze Age ship model

 

 

Sumer 3 - Cuneiform tablet-3000 BCE

 

 

Sumer 4 - Cuneiform tablet-3500-3000 BCE

 

 

Sumer 5 - Cuneiform tablet-1600 BCE

 

 

 

Sumer 6 - Cuneiform tablet-2500 BCE

 

 

Sumer 7 - King Sargon-2350 BCE

 

 

Sumer 8 - Long Sumerian cuneiform text

 

 

Sumer 9 - Mesopotamia map #2

 

 

Sumer 10 - Seal of Ibni-Sharrum-2250 BCE

 

 

 

Sumer 11 - Standard of Ur

 

 

 

Sumer 12 - Sumerian administrative tablet

 

 

Sumer 13 - Sumerian boat

 

 

 

Sumer 14 - Sumerian bowl

 

 

 

Sumer 15 - Sumerian bowl ca. 6000 BCE

 

 

 

Sumer 16 - Sumerian ceramic vessel #1

 

 

Sumer 17 - Sumerian ceramic vessel #2

 

 

Sumer 18 - Sumerian ceramic vessel #3

 

 

Sumer 19 - Sumerian cuneiform carving

 

 

Sumer 20 - Sumerian cuneiform lesson plan

 

 

 

Sumer 21 - Sumerian cuneiform boulder

 

 

Sumer 22 - Sumerian man

 

 

Sumer 23 - Sumerian pottery bowl

 

 

Sumer 24 - Sumerian pottery collection

 

 

Sumer 25 - Sumerian script tablet

 

 

 

Sumer 26 - Sumerian soup bowl ca 6000 BCE

 

 

Sumer 27 - Sumerian stone bowl

 

 

Sumer 28 - Sumerian ship painting

 

 

Sumer 29 - Sumerian woman 2130 BCE

 

 

 

NUMERICAL LIST OF PHOTOS

 

Sumer 1 - Ancient Mesopotamia map #1

Sumer 2 - Bronze Age ship model

Sumer 3 - Cuneiform tablet-3,000 BCE

Sumer 4 - Cuneiform tablet-3500-3000 BCE

Sumer 5 - Cuneiform tablet-1600 BCE

Sumer 6 - Cuneiform tablet-2500 BCE

Sumer 7 - King Sargon-2350 BCE

Sumer 8 - Long Sumerian cuneiform text

Sumer 9 - Mesopotamia map #2

Sumer 10 - Seal of Ibni-Sharrum-2250 BCE

Sumer 11 - Standard of Ur

Sumer 12 - Sumerian administrative tablet

Sumer 13 - Sumerian boat

Sumer 14 - Sumerian bowl

Sumer 15 - Sumerian bowl-6000 BCE

Sumer 16 - Sumerian ceramic vessel #1

Sumer 17 - Sumerian ceramic vessel #2

Sumer 18 - Sumerian ceramic vessel #3

Sumer 19 - Sumerian cuneiform carving

Sumer 20 - Sumerian cuneiform lesson plan

Sumer 21 - Sumerian cuneiform boulder

Sumer 22 - Sumerian man

Sumer 23 - Sumerian pottery bowl

Sumer 24 - Sumerian pottery collection

Sumer 25 - Sumerian script tablet

Sumer 26 - Sumerian soup bowl

Sumer 27 - Sumerian stone bowl

Sumer 28 - Sumerian ship painting

Sumer 29 - Sumerian woman 2130 BCE

 

References:

 

BERTMAN, S.  2014.  Handbook to Life in Ancient Mesopotamia.  Oxford Univ. Press.

 

DURANT, W.  1954.  1954.  Our Oriental Heritage.  Simon & Schuster Publ.  1052 pp.

 

KRAMER, S. N.  1988.  1988.  History Begins at Sumer.  Univ. of Pennsylvania Press.  416 pp.

 

KRAMER, S. N.  1971.  The Sumerians.  Univ. of Chicago Press.  372 pp.

 

KRIWACZEK, P.  2014.  Babylon.  Thomas Dunne Books. 

 

LEICK, G.  2010.  The A to Z of Mesopotamia.  Scarecrow Press.

 

PODANY, A. H.  2013.  The Ancient Near East.  Oxford Univ. Press.  168 pp.

 

Extended Bibliography