Introduction
Tigris and Euphrates valleys are where the Sumerian civilization began. The Sumerian civilization is included. The lower Tigris and Euphrates valleys were home to Sumer, an ancient civilization. 5,000 years before Christ’s birth, this region was home to a civilization. The Sumerian cities of Nippur, Ur, Umma, Eridu, Kish, and Lagash contributed significantly to the city’s development. States It has been discovered that the Sumerian civilization had a government, writing, art, architecture, literature, and commerce. They were not the only ones; the Sumerians of Mesopotamia invented everything from mathematics to warfare; these inventions helped human life during the invention and impacted today’s human life. The major purpose of this study is to emphasize the Sumerian civilization’s achievements and how they benefit and impact current human life.
Mathematics
The Sumerians widely used mathematics in a variety of their daily activities. When it came to determining how much tax they might levy on farmers’ harvests, the government relied on geometry. According to Adhikari (2020), calculations are based on basic arithmetic and percentages. The Sumerians were able to designate the limits of their country precisely. They relied on mathematics to predict how much it would cost to build canals, weigh products, and count stones for construction projects. Mathematics was used to determine the relative positions of the sun and moon. The Sumerians thought that they could divine their destiny by viewing the stars. In modern mathematics, we may still see traces of Sumerian influence. Using 60 as a starting point, Sumerians came up with concepts like the 60-minute hour, 60-second minute, and 360-degree circles (Adhikari, 2020). In the same way that “a million” was used to describe a great number, the number 3,600 (60 × 60) was used.
Medicine
Sumerian medicine made use of surgery and natural healing procedures. In the early Sumerians, they sought the assistance of spiritual healers to exorcise the demons they believed were causing people’s illnesses. Around 2500 BCE, medical treatments for illness began with the application of various plants and mineral oils to afflicted physiological organs. Doctors recommended things like “wash the injured body area with beer.” Combine honey and smashed turtle bones to make a soothing paste (Tinney, 2018).
Furthermore, researchers believe Sumerian medics performed trephination, a kind of surgical treatment. Archaeologists cite the large holes in Sumerian skulls as evidence. They believe that doctors make holes in people’s skulls to relieve pressure on their brains. Despite the greatest efforts of medical specialists, however, healing remained unclear (Tinney, 2018). As a consequence of illness, people in Sumeria often perished at 32 or younger.
Games
Sumerians played games as a kind of entertainment and to improve their fortune. Shells, stones, and bones compressed into spherical chunks are used as game board markers for the players’ locations. Several of the game boards were embellished with beautiful brickwork and mother-of-pearl designs. The Sumerians used the vivid blue gemstone lapis lazuli and the red sandstone to create elaborate artwork. One of Ur’s 20-square game boards has five rosettes and four zigzag-patterned circles. On this board, there are 12 squares, two of which feature bulls, and the other ten have swats. In most Sumerian games, the initial phase was rolling the dice and moving the pieces about the board. The champion was the first to withdraw their piece of the platform’s “escape square.” According to Tinney (2018), practicing these simple games may have prophesied the players’ destiny. The Sumerians believed that those who won would be endowed with lots of food, drink, and affection.
Irrigation
Sumerian farmers constructed a complicated watering system to ensure a steady crop supply. An irrigation system watered crops on the banks of the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. A farmer’s water supply must be properly controlled because of the river’s unexpected spring flooding and summer droughts. Dams, reservoirs, and canals were essential components of the Sumerian irrigation purposes. Some of the floods were diverted by farmers building masonry dams alongside streams. Multi-level ponds were used to hold the blocked water. Farmers would be able to use the water supply during the dry summer months. Canals and other artificial channels deliver water from neighboring rivers and reservoirs to adjacent fields across Sumer. In Sumerian cities, government officials ensured that drainage worked correctly. Government initiatives resulted in the cleaning of canals and the rehabilitation of dams. The Guggulu—a special government squad that checked for damaged and prohibited farmers from taking water—guarded canals (Fish, 2019). The Sumerian city-states raised wheat, onions, and cucumbers because of their irrigation system.
Cuneiform/Writing
It was one of the outstanding Sumerian achievements, “pronounced know-NEE-a-form,” the earliest highly formed written language. To keep track of their trading items, the Sumerians devised cuneiform. A previous, simpler writing system called pictographs influenced the development of cuneiform. Pictographs may be created from written symbols like snakes and water. Pictographs were created by scribes (writers) using a pointed reed and wet clay. The marks would remain for as long as the clay cooled and solidified. Pictographs were later created by scribes using simpler lines. These lines were quickly inscribed with a stylus, a pointed device made of reed. Using a horizontal end of the stylus, I pushed the clay into the shape of a triangle or a wedge (Fish, 2019). Eventually, nineteenth and twentieth-century academics referred to the Sumerian script as “wedge-shaped writing.”
Devotional Statues
The Sumerians built statues of devotion or religious fervor in honor of their religious beliefs. The sculptures depicted individual people, either alone or with their spouses. According to the Sumerians, sculptures delighted the gods since they represented their deep religious commitment. Thus they created numerous of them. Kings and the wealthy constructed deity statues in temples and private dwellings. They prayed to the gods for a bountiful harvest, a long life, and a big family in answer. Sculptures were remarkably lifelike in numerous circumstances. Researchers have found sculptures representing individuals with their hands folded in prayer. Women wore one-shoulder gowns or dancing tights, while males wore sideburns and woolen trousers (Fish, 2019). Statutes were commonly depicted as smiling people with wide-open eyes in the past. It is possible that Sumerian painters saw the large eyes of these figures as a symbol of the population’s dedication to the gods.
City-States/Kings
Sumerian city-states were the first to form in ancient times. A city and its farmhands constituted a fortified area known as a city-state. They were distinguishable from cities due to their size and well-organized character. The Sumerians ringed their city-state with huge walls reaching up to six kilometers. During strife, the walls included bronze gates that could be shut to keep invaders out. To protect their towns from attack, the Sumerians dug moats around them. Kings ruled Sumerian city-states. According to Sumerians, humanity was selected to govern Earth by the Gods when they reigned in the skies. A few of the king’s responsibilities were the enforcement of laws, collecting taxes, and upkeep of temples and irrigation facilities. Because the downtown area was constantly arguing over property boundaries and rainwater harvesting, this was one of their key obligations.
Sailboat
The sailboat, invented by the Sumerians, made it possible to travel farther and more readily move commodities via commerce. The first sailboats were quite tiny and had a form similar to a circular basket. Reeds were used in their construction, and animal leather was used for the covering. The sailboats each featured a single sail linked to the mast, which was the central pillar of the boat. The sail caught the wind, which propelled the sailboat forward, providing the vessel’s source of propulsion. Sailing on canals and rivers were the primary purpose people employed these early boats. In later times, Sumerians constructed bigger sailboats made of wood. The length of the largest sailboats might reach up to 60 feet, and their weight may reach up to 5 tons. They were constructed with sea travel in mind, and the oars that sailors used to guide the boats were attached to the ends of the boats themselves. Sailboats were the mode of transportation for Sumerian merchants when they traveled to faraway countries from Sumer. In order to be ready for their expedition, they loaded their yachts to the brim with additional grain from local farmers and woven goods, sometimes known as textiles (Charles River Editors, 2019). The Sumerians bought and sold these items in return for timber from Ethiopia, fragrances from India, and diamonds from India. During trading products, people also discussed the norms and beliefs of their homelands.
Metalworking
The Sumerians were recognized for their metallurgical prowess. Sumerian metallurgists employed metals from gold and silver to tin and lead. Talented metalworkers fashioned a vast range of weapons, tools, and luxury products from these metals throughout history. They fashioned swords, arrowheads, and even harpoons, for example. Metalworkers first utilized bronze to make weapons by combining copper and tin to produce a new, tougher metal known as bronze (Tinney, 2018). After that, the metal was put into molds and allowed to harden, yielding the final product: weapons.
Furthermore, metalworkers cast bronze into the equipment needed in the construction industry, such as axes, knives, saws, and hoes. Mirrors, jewelry, and sculptures made of precious metals like gold and silver were popular presents among the wealthy. The affluent Sumerian Queen Pu-Abi, donned silver hair combing and heavy gold jewelry and probably died after drinking poison from a gilded cup. Metalworkers in Mesopotamia could not create masterpieces due to a scarcity of essential metals in the region’s plains (Charles River Editors, 2019). Thus, Sumerians had to go elsewhere to get metals in the ancient Middle East. People from as far away as continental Europe exchanged their metalsmithing for these commodities with the Sumerians.
Written Laws
First, the Sumerians created a written rule system. The norms of Sumerian civilization were maintained in order. Around 2500 BCE, the oldest known judicial system was recorded on cuneiform tablets. Shulgi, Ur-son, Nammu’s code was most likely written for his father. The Sumerian kings were responsible for implementing the regulations that regulated the city-states under their control. At least two of Sumer’s early monarchs thought following written regulations was vital in “liberating Sumer.” The Sumerian legal system had a written code, trials, and legal agreements. A trial was conducted to determine whether a person was convicted or not guilty of a crime. Sumerian law often imposed a price as punishment if a person was found guilty. A fine person, for example, who shattered a lower-class human’s arm with a club was penalized two years’ pay for a lower-class person or one silver coin (Tinney, 2018). People might take their complaints to the king if they thought a judgment was unfair. Sumerian law also impacted legal structures like marriage-based property rights contracts.
Organized Armies
The Sumerian forces were well-organized and well-armed, and their leaders were outstanding. Sumerian monarchs originally organized armies and made alliances with neighboring city-states to resolve conflicts over water and land. Both professional troops and citizens performed military service. Farmers drafted by the king to fight in his army were referred to as citizen soldiers. Scholars believe that they might have been executed if they had refused to employ. The Sumerian forces were made up of several military organizations. Donkey-drawn chariots, or ancient “tanks,” were the first to join the conflict. These squares, made from wood vehicles with two or four axles, may have two or four tires. Troops were divided into two groups of foot troops who marched into battle together. Heavy soldiers were distinguished from light troops by using short-handled weapons and copper helmets. The light infantry utilized axes and light helmets. Every soldier wore a shield to protect himself from enemy arrows (Adhikari, 2020). However, many service members were still slain in wartime confrontations. In one fight, one monarch claimed to have slaughtered 12,650 troops. After the combat, the victorious side beheaded their defeated opponents to celebrate their triumph. Slavery was also imposed on a few of the inmates.
Plough
Sumerian farmers devised the plow to ensure that their cities had enough food. Pre-plowing, farmers dug holes in the ground with horns or pointed sticks of livestock. They would then sow the seedlings in the dirt once they had dug holes. Farmers need an alternative to this form of crop that is more efficient in preparing the soil for direct seeding. The Sumerian people created a wooden plow. It has a plowing or cutting end with a curved tip. Farmers employed animals like oxen to draw the plow, or they pushed and shoved the plow. Around 4000 BCE, Sumerian farmers began making stronger plow blades out of metals like copper and bronze (Captivating History, 2020). However, even with the aid of plows, farmers still had to plow large swaths of ground in a time-consuming and tedious process. To prepare the soil for cultivation, farmers had to continuously plow their field, rake it multiple times, hammer it, and then plow it again (Adhikari, 2020). Plow-mounted containers with funnels released seeds into newly plowed land, allowing for faster sowing.
Conclusion
To conclude, The Sumerians fulfilled their people’s requirements by developing items long before other civilizations emerged. Many of these innovations, such as soap and agriculture, are still being used today. The development of weapons has been critical to waging war and maintaining peace throughout history. The creation of the calendar continues to be a useful tool for helping us keep track of the events in our lives. These innovations have weathered the test of time and continue to be useful to people thousands of years after they were first developed. The first known example of Mesopotamian culture was the Sumerian civilization, which flourished in that region. The accomplishments that were made are reflected in the features of the civilization. The Sumerian conquest of Sumer by the Akkadians around 2500 years ago ended the Sumerian civilization. This civilization made several important contributions, in various areas, to the culture of the globe.
References
Adhikari, S. (2020). Egyptian Civilization: Its Sumerian origin, real chronology, and Sumerian origin of Egyptian hieroglyphs.Nature, 127(3195), 124-124.
Charles River Editors. (2019). The Sumerians: The history and legacy of the ancient Mesopotamian empire that established civilization. Createspace Independent Publishing Platform.
Fish, T. (2019). Aspects of Sumerian civilization during the third dynasty of Ur. IV. Silver. Bulletin of The John Rylands Library, 20(1), 121-133. Web.
Captivating History. (2020). Sumerians: A captivating guide to ancient Sumerian History, Sumerian mythology, and the Mesopotamian Empire of the Sumer civilization. Createspace Independent Publishing Platform.
Tinney, S. (2018). On the curricular setting of Sumerian Literature.British Institute for the Study of Iraq, 61, 159.