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3500 bc
Appears in
Published 2019
The Sumerians, whose origin is still an unsolved mystery, arrived on the scene and their ethnic and cultural fusion with the indigenous people gave rise to an impressive civilization. They developed irrigation systems, creating the food surplus needed for the growth of the world’s first cities. They traded with the neighboring countries, exporting barley and textiles and importing stone, timber, and metals.
Sumeria became powerful and rich with art, architecture, and education. The Sumerians invented writing, most probably driven by the need to keep trading records. Their writing is known as cuneiform, from the Latin cuneus ‘wedge,’ because they used a wedge-shaped stylus to form characters on clay tablets. A powerful priesthood also emerged to serve local deities at temples that had to be tended and cared for daily. Although Sumer was a small country, it was composed of no fewer than thirteen politico-religious units known as ‘city-states,’ and the bitter struggle for supremacy among their rulers led to Sumer’s decline.