Page 76 - Key to Social Studies 4

Mesopotamia and Sumer
• While the ancient Egyptian civilization had a
stable settlement, or community, along the
Nile Valley, the civilization in Mesopotamia
was characterized by shifting empires.
Nomads settled in the area of Mesopotamia.
They started to build small villages, which
turned into large towns. These cities
eventually developed into the civilization of
Sumer, also known as “the cradle of
civilization.”
• As the villages of Sumer became large towns
and cities, they started to form city-states,
where the government ruled the city and the
land around the city.
• Many city-states were built over the years. The
biggest city-states were Eridu, which was the
rst formed city-state, and the city-state of Ur.
Mesopotamia
Egyptian Nile Valley
74
• Each city-state had its own ruler, who
was also the high priest of the city.
Each city had its own god and a large
temple in the center of the city. These
temples were called Ziggurats.
• The Sumerians made great
achievements through many
inventions. They created a unique
writing system, a numerical system
that we still see today, and an
irrigation system to control the
watering of farmland. The Sumerians
were also excellent businesspeople
who traveled widely for timber, gold,
and gemstones.
Ziggurat