Probably everyone knows that the ancient Sumerians were the first inventors of writing and the wheel. But what do we really know about this ancient civilization that existed about 4 millennia BC? on the territory of modern Iraq?
So, here are 17 impressive facts about the ancient Sumerians who lived in the valley of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.
1. The population of one of the largest Sumerian cities could be 80 thousand inhabitants
For us, living in megacities with a population of more than a million people, 80 thousand people seem like a small number. But for comparison, even in the Middle Ages, a medium-sized city had only 5 thousand inhabitants, only in Italy the population of large cities totaled 35-40 thousand people. But the ancient Sumerians lived 5 and a half millennia before the Middle Ages! At the same time, the Sumerians built their houses from clay bricks, and irrigation canals were laid throughout the city.
2. The list of Sumerian rulers includes one woman
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One of the most valuable sources reporting on the life of the ancient Sumerians is the "Royal List", which tells about the most ancient rulers of the Sumerians. The history on this list is intertwined with myths. This list includes a woman who became the ruler of one of the Sumerian city-states. She was called Kubaba and was originally the owner of a tavern. The list says that she strengthened her kingdom and became the ancestor of a whole dynasty of kings who ruled for 100 years.
3. Sumerian city-states were often at war with each other
And this despite the fact that they shared a common language and cultural traditions.
4. The ancient Sumerians loved … beer
The Sumerians not only invented writing, the wheel, the plow, laws and literature, they were also one of the oldest brewers. Their brewing technique is still a mystery, but it is known that they made beer based on barley, and it was so thick that it had to be filtered through a special filter system. The Sumerians prized their beer for being healthy and regarded it as the key to "a happy heart and a happy liver."
5. Cuneiform was used for 3 thousand years
Cuneiform writing was a wedge-shaped dash script originally used to keep accounts and business records, but over time it developed into a true writing system that could be used to write stories and poems, laws and history. Most modern writing systems are derived from Sumerian cuneiform.
6. Sumerians were the oldest merchants
Their land was rich in forest, mineral, stone, so they established one of the world's first trade routes both by sea and by land.
7. The epic of Gilgamesh could have been written about a real Sumerian
This ancient poem tells the story of a Sumerian king who fought a forest monster and tried to solve the mystery of eternal life. Although the character is a demigod and possesses the power of Hercules, scientists believe that he was a real person - the 5th ruler of the city of Uruk. He is mentioned in the Sumerian "King's List", which tells how he built a protective wall around the city and restored the temple of one of their goddesses. Most likely, he was a real person, whose deeds were later transformed into myths.
8. Sumerian mathematics and system of measures are used to this day
The idea that there are 60 seconds in a minute and 60 minutes in an hour comes from ancient Mesopotamia. Modern mathematics is based on the decimal number system, while Sumerian mathematics is based on the sixagesimal system. This system was later adopted by the Babylonians, who used it in astronomical calculations of the length of the month and year. The sexagesimal system has gradually ceased to be used, but its echoes can still be heard in the system of time changes in the hour and minute. This includes 360 degrees in a circle and 12 inches in a foot.
9. Sumerian culture was lost to history until the 19th century
After the Sumerians were captured by the Babylonians and Amorites in the second millennium BC, the Sumerians gradually lost their cultural identity and ceased to exist as a political force. All knowledge of their history, literature, technology and even their name was eventually forgotten. Their secrets were hidden in the depths of the Iraqi desert until the 19th century, when French and British archaeologists finally stumbled upon Sumerian artifacts while looking for traces of the ancient Assyrians.
10. Perhaps the Sumerians were the oldest civilization that existed on Earth
And the most ancient city could be the Sumerian Eridu, built around 5400 BC.
11. The Sumerian king Eanatum created the world's first empire
In the 25th century BC. he undertook a military campaign, as a result of which he captured several neighboring city-states, later he conquered all of Sumer and even extended his power beyond its borders.
12. The ancient Sumerians have a flood myth similar to the Bible story about the Great Flood
According to the Sumerian legend, the Gods decided to send water to Earth to destroy humanity. However, God Ea warned Ziusudra, the ruler of Shuruppak, and ordered him to build a large boat. A violent storm rocked the boat for 7 days and 7 nights, and then Utu, the sun god, appeared. After the flood, the animals left the ship, and the Gods gave Ziusudra eternal life in order to "preserve the animals and human seed."
13. Sumerians created the oldest code of laws
It was called "The Laws of Ur-Nammu", after the name of the originator - the king of the city-state of Ur (the homeland of the biblical prophet Abraham, by the way).
14. The Sumerians were the first to invent the calendar
15. The Sumerians created the world's first schools, education in which was not inferior (and somewhere even superior) to modern
They studied writing, reading, mathematics, history, mapping, linguistics, medicine, and learned how to perform operations.
16. Sumerian women had certain rights in society
They could sell, buy and own property, were involved in trade and had the right to testify in court.
