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Sumerian Civilization

The Sumerians developed one of the earliest advanced civilizations located between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers in modern-day Iraq. They invented cuneiform writing around 3500 BCE to facilitate long-distance trade. They also developed early mathematics using a base-60 number system and standardized measurement. Sumerian doctors practiced both therapeutic and religious medicine, using herbal remedies and opium to treat illnesses. The Sumerians also invented irrigation-based agriculture, using canals and reservoirs to provide water for farms.

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71 views7 pages

Sumerian Civilization

The Sumerians developed one of the earliest advanced civilizations located between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers in modern-day Iraq. They invented cuneiform writing around 3500 BCE to facilitate long-distance trade. They also developed early mathematics using a base-60 number system and standardized measurement. Sumerian doctors practiced both therapeutic and religious medicine, using herbal remedies and opium to treat illnesses. The Sumerians also invented irrigation-based agriculture, using canals and reservoirs to provide water for farms.

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carriemama16
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SUMERIAN

CIVILIZATION
While modern humans like to think of themselves
as the most advanced in history, most of the tools
and technology that we take advantage of today
have their roots in the ancient world. Writing, math,
and units of measurement got their start in the
world’s earliest advanced civilization: Sumer.
Nestled between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in
modern-day Iraq, Sumer was a thriving settlement
of city-states in the early Bronze Age and these
Sumerian inventions revolutionized the world and
continue to shape our lives today.
CONTRIBUTIONS
The Sumerian Invention of Writing

The most important contribution


of the ancient Sumerians was
their writing system: cuneiform.
Cuneiform, named for the
wedge-shaped impressions that
make up the script, first
developed around 3500 BCE to
ensure accurate communication
during long-distance trade.
The Development of Mathematics and Number Systems
● The Sumerian number system is a sexagesimal, or
base 60 number system. This means that the system
of counting and calculation used powers of 60 (our
modern number system is a base 10 system).
Historians and mathematicians believe that the
Sumerians used a base 60 system because it has a
high number of divisors and can easily be
represented using your fingers. In modern
mathematics, 60 is a popular system of division.
Think 60 seconds in a minute, 60 minutes in an hour,
360 degrees in a circle (60 x 6).
● Using the base 60 system, the Sumerians created
addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division
tables. This knowledge further developed into
geometric equations, arithmetic constructions, and a
standard measurement system.
The World’s First Medicines

● Sumerian doctors would often attribute a malady or sickness to the patient’s actions and
prescribe a confession or offering to the correct god or goddess, often a medical prescription
accompanied a religious offering.
● There were two types of Sumerian doctors. The asu were doctors who practiced therapeutic
medicine and provided medical treatment to patients. The asipu practiced religious medicine
and treated their patient’s ills through religious prescriptions (confessions, wearing talismans
to ward off evil spirits, or making offerings to the offended god or goddess).
● Ancient Sumerian doctors used herbs, salves, and other natural remedies to treat a variety of
ills.
● Asu used botanicals to create healing remedies. Herbs, plants, and minerals were ground up and
delivered to patients via honey, water, beer, or wine. Salves for treating wounds were also made from
the same ingredients, combined with a carrier, spread on the affected area and bound with cloth.
There is also evidence that asu used opium to treat pain.
The Sumerian
Invention of
Agriculture

The ancient Sumerians used artificial irrigation to provide water to farms. Initially, the
irrigation system consisted of canals that drew water from the river directly onto the fields.
Around the ancient city of Uruk, archaeologists have discovered the remains of large
canals and reservoirs. Hand-operated water lifts called shadufs have also existed in the
region since about 3000 BCE. Eventually, the central government developed aqueducts to
carry water over long distances.

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