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Sumerians

✨ c. 4500 – 1900 BCE, Mesopotamia

The Sumerians were one of the earliest known civilizations of Mesopotamia, a region between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in what is now southern Iraq. From the 4th millennium BCE, they developed numerous independent city-states, including Uruk, Ur, Lagash and Eridu. Each city had its own ruler, institutions and patron deity, while temples played important religious and economic roles.

The Sumerians are especially known for developing cuneiform, one of the earliest known writing systems, which emerged around the late 4th millennium BCE. At first, writing was mainly used to record goods, labor and administrative information. Over time, it was also used for laws, literature, religious texts and correspondence. Sumerian society included farmers, craftspeople, merchants, priests, officials and rulers, with agriculture supported by irrigation systems.

Sumerian cities competed with one another and were sometimes conquered by neighboring peoples. Their political independence gradually declined as Akkadian, Babylonian and other powers gained control of southern Mesopotamia. Nevertheless, Sumerian language and cultural traditions continued to influence later civilizations for centuries. Their scholars developed systems of mathematics based partly on the number 60, which contributed to the division of the hour into 60 minutes and the circle into 360 degrees.

Sumerian literature includes the earliest known forms of the Epic of Gilgamesh, although the surviving versions were transmitted through later Mesopotamian traditions. By the early 2nd millennium BCE, Sumerian had largely ceased to be a spoken everyday language, but it remained in use for religious and scholarly purposes for many centuries. The Sumerians therefore left a lasting legacy in writing, administration, mathematics and the cultural history of Mesopotamia.

💡 Did you know?

Do you know how people wrote in Sumerian times? They didn't use pens or paper. The Sumerians wrote with reeds cut into a wedge shape on wet clay tablets. When the tablet dried in the sun, the message became hard as stone and could last for thousands of years! That's why we know their history today.

Before the invention of the wheel by the Sumerians, carrying heavy objects was a nightmare! They probably used tree trunks to roll loads. One day, a genius had the idea of making solid wooden disks attached to an axle. At first, the wheel was used for making pottery, and then it was adapted for carts to travel faster.

Why are there 60 minutes in an hour? It is a direct legacy from the Sumerians! Unlike us, who often count in 10s, they preferred the number 60 because it is very easy to divide. They also observed the sky and divided the circle into 360 degrees. Every time you look at your watch, you're using a bit of Sumerian science!