Acheivements Inventions of Sumerians Mesopotamians free essay sample

I think that Cuneiform was really important and vital to the Mesopotamian race. I think this because it was used a lot in the Mesopotamian lifestyle, and also because Cuneiform was used by people throughout the ancient Near East to write several different languages, which means that it led to our written language which we still use today! The 12 month calendar In Mesopotamia, the solar year was divided into two seasons, the summer, which included the barley harvests at the end of May or the beginning of June, and the winter, which roughly corresponded to todays autumn-winter. Three seasons (Assyria) and four seasons (Anatolia) were counted in northerly countries, but in Mesopotamia the division of the year into two seemed natural. As late as c. 1800 BC the predictions for the welfare of the city of Mari, on the middle Euphrates, were taken for six months. The months began at the first visibility of the New Moon. The names of the months differed from city to city, and within the same Sumerian city of Babylonia a month could have several names, derived from festivals, from tasks usually performed in the given month, and so on. As early as the 27th century BC, the Sumerians had used artificial time units in referring to the fact of some high official. The Sumerian administration also needed a time unit comprising the whole agricultural cycle; for example, from the delivery of new barley and the settling of pertinent accounts to the next crop. This financial year began about two months after barley cutting. For other purposes, a year began before or with the harvest. This varying and discontinuous year was not precise enough for the careful accounting of Sumerian scribes, who by 2400 BC already used the schematic year of 30 12 = 360 days. I think that the 12 month calendar is vital for our well-being in this modern world. Without the calendar, we would not be able to tell how long it is to a certain date, or whether we are in November, or maybe January, or another date in the year. It is one of the most important inventions of all time, in my opinion. The wheel The Sumerians first invented the wheel. They connected it to vehicles called chariots. It got them to places they wanted to go quickly. It was one of the biggest achievements in history. Without the wheel we wouldnt be here today. We wouldnt have all the cities and towns without the wheel. That is why the wheel is so important. The wheel is everywhere on all our cars, trains, planes, machines, wagons, and most factory and farm equipment. What could we move without wheels? The oldest wheel found in archaeological excavations was discovered in Mesopotamia, and is believed to be over fifty-five hundred years old. I think that the wheel was THE most important Mesopotamian invention of all time. I think this because without it, we wouldn’t be where we are today in technology today. Also, we wouldn’t be able to move anything heavy, like automobiles, without the wheel. The ox drawn plough The plough, in its earliest form, is said to have been created in Mesopotamia in 4000 BC. Historians say there is evidence substantiating the claim. They say that in Mesopotamia, a picture of the plough was used as a word sign in early forms of writing. This, the earliest plough, was a very simple production. It consisted of a forked branch that was lashed to a pole. The junction of the fork was placed down on the soil in such a way that it made a groove into the soil as the plough was moved. The fork ends served as handles and the pole pulled the plough. Although it was likely that the plough was pulled by humans, the pictures in Mesopotamia depict the plough as being pulled by oxen. From then on it was the ox that was used to pull the plough. I think that the Ox drawn plough is one of the lesser recognized of the Mesopotamian inventions, but is none-the-less one of the important ones. I think this because without it, we might not have known how to create engines, and we would not have thought of using horse-and-carriage, which in my opinion, is the evolution of the Ox drawn plough. The sail boat One of the ancient creations of Mesopotamia was the sailboat. Early sailboats probably werent as complicated as modern sailboats, but the whole idea was a great step forward in history. The sailboats made it possible to trade with countries much further away. It also made possible the bringing of more fish which could be traded or eaten by the lucky fisherman. The sailboat is a very important invention of Mesopotamia. The Mesopotamians wanted more out of the two rivers which resulted in sailboats. With sailboats the Mesopotamians could put nets in the middle of the rivers or canals much more easily which would get more fish. I think that the sailboat was a very important Mesopotamian invention. It may not have been the most important, but it was certainly necessary in the Mesopotamians lives. It was important because without it, they may have been catching fish the harder way for the whole Mesopotamian era. Irrigation The geography of Mesopotamia is such that agriculture is possible only with irrigation and good drainage. The need for irrigation led the Sumerians to build their cities along the Tigris and Euphrates and the branches of these rivers. Major cities, like Ur, took root on tributaries of the Euphrates, while others were built on branches of the Tigris. The rivers also provided fish (used both for food and fertilizer), reeds, and clay (for building materials). With irrigation, the food supply in Mesopotamia was quite rich. I think that Irrigation is another important invention of the Mesopotamian era. I think it’s important because without good irrigation, nobody would be able to grow crops, resulting in starvation, and in the end, death. The first written law code Hammurabi was an ancient Babylonian king. He did something that no one had ever done before. The Sumerians had already created the first written language. Using this written language, Hammurabi created the first written set of laws. In Hammurabis court, it did not matter if you were rich or poor. If you broke the law, and were found guilty, you would be punished. Since the laws were clearly written down, everyone was expected to obey them. Some of the laws made sense and were fair, but some were quite strange. Here are just a few of the 282 laws: No 2. If anyone bring an accusation against a man, and the accused go to the river and leap into the river, if he sink in the river his accuser shall take possession of his house. But if the river prove that the accused is not guilty, and he escape unhurt, then he who had brought the accusation shall be put to death, while he who leaped into the river shall take possession of the house that had belonged to his accuser. No 114. If a man have no claim on another for corn and money, and try to demand it by force, he shall pay one-third of a mina of silver in every case. No 282. If a slave says to his master: You are not my master, if they convict him his master shall cut off his ear. I particularly like Hammurabi’s code of laws, because they were similar to our laws which we have set today. I also like them because without them, the land between the two rivers would probably be gone today, with no laws set. The invention of a way to measure time The Mesopotamians invented the 60 minute hour. The idea of measuring the year was more important than measuring the day. People could judge the time of day by following the sun. Judging the time of year was more difficult and important in knowing when to plant crops, expect rain or snow and harvest crops. That is why a yearly calendar was developed before clocks and minutes and seconds didn’t come to the Middle Ages. The Mesopotamians have been credited with coming up with the idea of dividing the hour into 60 minutes. The number 60 seemed to be prized especially since 360 divided by six is 60, and some scholars have speculated that is why hours are made up of 60 minutes and minutes are made up of 60 seconds. Others believe the number 60 was arrived at by multiplying the visible planets (Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn) by the number of months (12). The Mesopotamian way to measure time is quite hard to explain, as there is so many theories of how we have the measurement of time today. But, none-the-less, it is very important, as if we didn’t have it, like the calendar, we would not be able to tell what time it is at all. Ziggurats Temples were originally built on platforms. During the third millennium B. C. , these were made higher and bigger. Eventually it was decided to build even higher temples on platforms which were stepped. These stepped towers we call Ziggurats. By 2000 BC, mud-brick ziggurats were being constructed in many Sumerian cities. Later, Ziggurats were constructed in Babylonian and Assyrian cities, mainly for religious festivals. These were held at the top of the Ziggurat No one knows for certain why ziggurats were built or how they were used. They are part of temple complexes, so they were probably connected with religion. All year long, people left offerings of food and wine on the steps of these Ziggurats. The priests enjoyed these offerings, as the gods could not eat for themselves. The Ziggurat was built in the center of town. It was the center of daily life. Except for festivals, which, for the most part, were gloomy things, the Ziggurat courtyard was filled with life. I think that Ziggurats were very important in Mesopotamia. I think this because without them, the religious culture might have been different to this day, as they were originally built for religious purposes. Sewers Sumerians developed a complex system of sewers and flush toilets to rid cities of waste and unhealthy affects of swamps. Music and musical instruments Much of the music in the Mesopotamian era consisted of singing, and songs. Some songs were written for the gods but many were written to describe important events. Although music and songs amused kings, they were also enjoyed by ordinary people who liked to sing and dance in their homes or in the marketplaces. Songs were sung to children who passed them on to their children. Therefore, songs were passed on through many generations as an oral tradition until writing was more universal. These songs provided a means of passing on through the centuries highly important information about historical events. The Oud is a small, stringed musical instrument used by the Mesopotamians. The oldest pictorial record of the Oud dates back to the Uruk period, in Southern Mesopotamia over 5000 years ago. It is on a cylinder seal currently housed at the British Museum. The image depicts a female crouching with her instruments upon a boat, playing right-handed. This instrument appears hundreds of times throughout Mesopotamian history. Its name is derived from the word, the wood. I think that music wasn’t as important as the other inventions in Mesopotamia, but it was very entertaining. The fact that the Oud could be one of the very first musical instruments is quite fascinating. Religion and gods The people of Mesopotamia believed that their world was controlled by gods and goddesses, demons and monsters. There were hundreds of gods who were responsible for everything in the world, from rivers and trees to making bread and pottery. Each city was protected by its own special god or goddess and their family. Large temples were built in the centre of the city for these gods to live in. Priests looked after the gods with special rituals. There were also smaller temples throughout the city where ordinary people could make offerings. Demons were created by the gods with human bodies and animal or bird heads. They could be either evil or good. Monsters were a mixture of animals and birds. The priests were responsible for the sacrifices and rituals that were essential for the help of the gods. In addition, property belonged to the gods, so priests administered it.