The Sumerian civilization is the oldest civilization known to mankind. The term ���Sumer��� is today used to designate southern Mesopotamia. In 3000 BC, a flourishing urban civilization existed. The Sumerian civilization was predominantly agricultural and had community life.
Some of the major Mesopotamian civilizations include the Sumerian, Assyrian, Akkadian, and Babylonian civilizations. Evidence shows extensive use of technology, literature, legal codes, philosophy, religion, and architecture in these societies.
The word “mesopotamia” is formed from the ancient words “meso,” meaning between or in the middle of, and “potamos,” meaning river. Situated in the fertile valleys between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, the region is now home to modern-day Iraq, Kuwait, Turkey and Syria.
Even so, Mesopotamia is known as the “cradle of civilization” primarily because of two developments that occurred there, in the region of Sumer, in the 4th millenium BCE: the rise of the city as recognized today.
Assyria was located in the northern part of Mesopotamia, which corresponds to most parts of modern-day Iraq as well as parts of Iran, Kuwait, Syria, and Turkey.
MesopotamiaSumer, located in Mesopotamia, is the first known complex civilization, having developed the first city-states in the 4th millennium BCE.
IraqThe city of Babylon, whose ruins are located in present-day Iraq, was founded more than 4,000 years ago as a small port town on the Euphrates River. It grew into one of the largest cities of the ancient world under the rule of Hammurabi.
From the Garden of Eden to Abraham, Daniel in the lions' den and the Tower of Babel, the ancient land now known as Iraq is considered the birthplace of the Bible. Mesopotamia, literally the land between the rivers Tigris and Euphrates, is the reason this land is so lush.
MesopotamiaDuring ancient times, lands that now constitute Iraq were known as Mesopotamia (“Land Between the Rivers”), a region whose extensive alluvial plains gave rise to some of the world's earliest civilizations, including those of Sumer, Akkad, Babylon, and Assyria.
Persians - The Persians put an end to the rule of the Assyrians and the Babylonians. They conquered much of the Middle East including Mesopotamia.
Sumerian civilization coalesced in the subsequent Uruk period (4000 to 3100 BC). Named after the Sumerian city of Uruk, this period saw the emergence of urban life in Mesopotamia and, during its later phase, the gradual emergence of the cuneiform script.
The main difference between Mesopotamia and Egypt is that Mesopotamia was located between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers in the Fertile Crescent, while Egypt is located on the banks of the river Nile. Mesopotamia and Egypt are two of the earliest ancient civilizations based on rivers.
Those five characteristics are: advanced cities, specialized workers, complex institutions, record keeping, and advanced technology. Advanced cities are an important feature of civilized life.
They were the Akkadian Empire, the Babylonian (bah-buh-LOH-nyuhn) Empire, the Assyrian (uh-SIR-ee-un) Empire, and the Neo-Babylonian Empire. 4 This Assyrian carving depicts soldiers marching off to battle. The Akkadian military conquered the independent city-states of Sumer and united them under King Sargon.
Civilization is characterized by five traits: specialized workers, complex institutions, record keeping, advanced technology, and advanced cities.
Terms in this set (5)Advanced Cities. Grew out of farming villages on the Nile. ... Specialized Workers. Traders on the Nile. ... Complex institutions. Some form of food government and religion life. ... Record Keeping. Hieroglyphics represented sounds. ... Improved Technology. Solar calendar, and advanced medicine.