Sumerians

We explain who were the Sumerians and what their main inventions were. In addition, its characteristics, society and more.

Who were the Sumerians?

The Sumerians were a Ancient civilization that inhabited Asian Mesopotamia between 3500 and 1750 a. C . Throughout their history, the Sumerians founded hundreds of cities-state on the banks of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, controlled by priests and military leaders who sought to impose their dominance in the region.

Through centralized political units, they organized agricultural production and trade, They ordered the construction of great works established law systems and formed great armies.

Among other cultural features, the Sumerians They are recognized for having invented one of the first writing systems and have composed the first the Gilgamesh poemthe first version of the myth of the universal flood.

Characteristics of Sumerian civilization

The main characteristics of the Sumerians were:

• They inhabited Asian Mesopotamia between 3500 and 1750 a. C. and founded dozens of cities around the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.
• They were organized in independent cities-states, controlled by a caste of priests and warrior leaders who concentrated political, economic and social power.
• His history was marked by the constant wars between cities and attempts to conquer and political hegemony.
• Its cities were conquered by foreign peoples and regained their independence on different occasions.
• They invented the cuneiform writing, which they used to account for the administration of goods and services of the city.
• They developed several literary, epic and religious texts that influenced contemporary and subsequent cultures throughout the region.

Geographic location of the Sumerians

The Sumerians were established in Asian Mesopotamia, a region located in the non -desert areas of the current Iraq and the border area of ​​the northwest of Syria. It was a fertile area about the Tigris and Euphrates rivers surrounded by the Arabia desert, the Taurus Montes, the Zagros Montes and the Persian Gulf.

The region was divided into:

• Alta Mesopotamia . It was the northern area, where the nascent of the rivers are located. Natural irrigation agriculture could be practiced.
• Low Mesopotamia . It was the southern area, with the slope and mouth of the rivers. Due to the dry and hot weather, the construction of channels to control the droughts and floods of the rivers was necessary.

Origin and History of Sumerians

The Sumerians were a town of Asian origin. It is not known exactly when they migrated to the Mesopotamian region, although there are archaeological remains prior to 3500 a. C. that can be linked to the subsequent Sumerian cities. Specialists divide Sumerian history into the following periods:

• Uruk period (c. 3500-2900 BC) . The Sumerians settled in the low Mesopotamia and founded more than 30 cities. Among them were Uruk, Lagash, Kish and Umma. During this period, the political elites of the cities-states were linked to the priests, and the temples functioned as religious, political and administrative centers. The city of Uruk condensed political and cultural hegemony in the region.
• Archaic dynastic period (2900-2334 BC). Demographic growth and disputes between cities for resources (water, land and raw materials) inclined the balance of political power in favor of military leaders, which became kings. The cities power center goes from temples to real palaces. Despite the continuous wars, the population continued to increase due to improvements in agricultural production and new cities were founded.
• Kingdom of Akkad (2334-2218 BC). From 2400 a. C., the Semitic People of the Akkadians were gradually established in the central Mesopotamia and founded the city of Mari. In 2334 a. C., under the command of Sargon, the Akkadians seized the city of Kish and began a series of military campaigns to dominate the region. Sargon consecrated himself as king of the four areas of the universe and established a kingdom with capital in Akkad, who forced the peoples under paying tribute.
• Guti period (2218-2047 a. C.). Sumerian cities began a series of rebellions that undermined Akkad’s political power. In turn, the Guteos, a town from the mountainous area of ​​the current Iran, invaded the Mesopotamian cities and destroyed the capital of Akkad. The Guteos took the customs and language of the Akkadians, were imposed on the Sumerian cities and began to charge them tribute.
• Sumerian Renaissance (2047-1800 BC). After a series of rebellions to free themselves from the Guteo domain, the Sumerian cities managed to expel the Guteos of Mesopotamia. The city of UR initiated a unification and alliance process between cities. During this period the cities of UR and Lagash stood out, and the constructions in the form of Zigurats (Pyramids with terraces, temples and long staircases). The independence of the Sumerian cities remained until the invasion of the amorreos down Mesopotamia, towards the 2000 a. C., which swept the constructions and seized goods and cities.
• Babylonian Empire (1792-1750 BC) . Hammurabi, king of the city of Babylon conquered the Assyrian peoples and submitted the Sumerian cities. The Babylonian Empire sought to centralize power and unify the territories in its command: it created a system of common laws and imposed academic culture in all cities. With the death of Hammurabi, the rebellions and incursions of neighboring towns collapsed the empire.

Social organization of Sumerians

Sumerian society was hierarchical and Citizens groups were divided based on their role or trade . The priests were from the beginning the group that controlled the administration and organization of the Sumerian cities-states. They were considered to be intermediaries between people and gods. In exchange for their religious services, they possessed land and charged taxes.

With the increase in conflicts between cities, Warriors charged greater political importance And they settled, together with the priestly group, as elites of the Sumerian societies: they controlled the administration of government and the distribution of goods obtained from the taxes.

In addition, there were some social groups that performed special tasks and received their food and other goods from the State: scribes, warriors, officials, merchants and specialized artisans.

The majority of the population was made up of peasants that lived in the villages and dedicated themselves to the production of food and the work of the earth. In addition, they had to fulfill public obligations, such as working on large constructions, growing real land or providing military service.

Finally, In Sumerian society there were slaves who were prisoners of war.

Political organization of the Sumerians

Throughout its history, the political organization of the Sumerians It was modified according to its context . During the time of their independence, the Sumerian cities had a theocratic government.

Initially, The cities were governed by PATESI, priests who administered the cult and legal, economic and social affairs. In the temples, political activity was concentrated in addition to doing religious ceremonies and offerings.

With urban growth and the constant increase in wars, The political power of the warrior kings was consolidated . The priests dedicated themselves exclusively to religious functions and governments were in the hands of Lugalesmilitary princes that centralized their governments in urban palaces. The reigns were dynastic (they were inherited through the generations of kings families) and remained linked to religious beliefs, since the Lugal He was considered a representative of the gods on earth.

Economic Organization of Sumerians

The economy of the cities-state Sumerians It was based on agriculture, trade and tribute organization . The cities controlled the surrounding territory, from which they were supplied for the subsistence of their population.

In the low Mesopotamia, A large -scale irrigated agriculture was practiced . It was necessary to build channels and hydraulic works that would allow control of the rise and descent of the rivers. In this way, floods were avoided and artificial irrigation could be performed in times of drought.

Part of the agricultural assets produced by the peasants were delivered as taxes to the government of the cities. The temples and palaces stored these goods and administered them for the growth of the city: Exchange of goods with other cities, construction of public works maintenance of social groups (scribes, warriors and other officials) and crisis assistance (droughts or wars).

Sumerian religion

The Sumerians They were polytheistic, that is, they believed in the existence of many gods . In their worldview, in the past the gods had lived in the cities and created to humanity, to which they had assigned the tasks they did not want to perform.

Each Sumerian city had a main god:

• Enki (God of Earth and Water) was the patron god of Eridu
• Enlil (god of wind and storms) was revered in Nippur
• Nannar (Divinity of the Moon) was worshiped in UR
• Utu (God of the Sun) was the main god of Lagash
• Anu (God of Heaven) was the Divinity Manager of Uruk

In addition, they believed that all cultural knowledge and technical achievements were gifts granted by the gods. Military victories and defeats were also divine decisions . Therefore, it was essential to content divinities through ceremonies and continuous offerings, which the priests directed. In this sense, the temples were constituted as the central public buildings of civilization throughout Sumerian history.

Sumerian culture

The main cultural features of the Sumerians were:

• Architecture . The Sumerians were characterized by building buildings based on cooked brick without cements. Therefore, periodically they had to improve their constructions, which generated that the level of the cities rise above the surrounding plains. A characteristic construction of Sumerian architecture were the Ziguratspyramidal shape buildings that were made with sun -dried bricks. At the top, there was a sanctuary enshrined to the patron of the temple and the city. The building was designed imagining a ladder so that the divinity descended towards the city and protects it.
• Writing . The Sumerians created a writing system to record the products that were received in the temples and in the palaces. This task was carried out by scribes, who were educated especially for this purpose. Throughout its history, Sumerian writing had different stages:

• Pictographic writing (the drawings represented objects)
• ideographic writing (ideograms represented concepts)
• phonographic writing (the signs represented sounds and combined to generate different words)
• cuneiform writing (the system was complex and the signs for a more fluid writing were stylized).

• Literature . Archaeologists have found numerous Sumerian stories, written on mud tablets. These texts provide stories, legends and myths that allow to know better the worldview of the ancient Sumerians. The Gilgamesh poemin which the first version of the myth of the Universal Flood is narrated, which then sustained other religions.
• Legislation. The Sumerians based their legislation on customary law; that is, in the tradition dictated by custom. Towards 1790 a. C., the King of Babylon drafted his laws in writing, in a text that is now known as the Hammurabi code. This compilation was made up of 282 laws that dealt with very diverse issues such as robberies, homicides, commercial problems, marriage or slavery. The laws had very severe punishments and were based on the principle of the law of the Talion: “Eyed for an eye, tooth for the tooth.” According to this principle, who committed a crime had to be punished with an evil equal to the one he had caused.

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References

• Liverani, M. (1995). The Old East. History, society and economy. Lingua, 265.
• Kuhrt, A. (2000). The Middle East in Antiquity (c. 3000-330 BC). Grupo Planeta (GBS).
• Sanmartín, J., & Serrano, JM (1998). Ancient History of the East: Mesopotamia and Egypt (Vol. 22). Akal editions.