SUMERIAN CIVILIZATION

Irrigation and Dikes

Period developed: approximately 6000 BC
Where: Mesopotamia (the region is now home to modern-day Iraq, Kuwait, Turkey and Syria.)
Who: The Summerians
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As the population increased so did the demand for food.
The Summerians were challenged to mass produce food
items but the elements in the environment seemed
uncooperative. In Mesopotamia, it was not easy to plant
in an arid climate with a lack of water supply because of
the topography of the land. It was difficult to get water
from the rivers, thus they could not maintain farmlands.
To conquer this enormous agricultural problem, the
Sumerians, who were the first settlers in the
Mesopotamian region, devised an irrigation canal to hold
the flow of water from the Euphrates and Tigris Rivers. This method was considered as one of the
world’s most beneficial engineering works. They made canals, dikes, and ditches to ensure that
their crops have enough water. When the flood season of the rivers is over, the farmers drain excess
water through canals. Afterwards, they plow the fields and rake it repeatedly. Through the dikes
and canals, the Summerians were able to enjoy year-long farming and harvesting, which increased
their food production.
Irrigation has come a long way since it was first invented thousands of years ago. Modern irrigation
systems are very advanced, and there are various systems in use around the world.

Surface systems are still in use today and involve the water being moved across the surface of a
farming area to wet the soil. This is one of the oldest techniques used, and it is similar to irrigation
through the flooding of rivers, which dates back thousands of years.

Irrigation demonstrates the ability of humans to control our world through the use of innovative
techniques. It has been essential for the successful growing of crops right across the world for
thousands of years, and it remains so to this day. Irrigation techniques may continue to develop,
but the basic process of artificially directing water towards agricultural land has remained a
mainstay of farming for thousands of years and has allowed humans to dominate their environment
wherever they live.
Sailboats
Period developed: 6000 BC
Where: Ancient Mesopotamia
Who: The Sumerians
The Sumerian civilization invented sailboats
because at that time, the wheel was not yet
invented. They also had to cross two rivers in order
to effectively trade with neighboring civilizations
and roads had not yet been developed. Because of
that, their mode of transportation was only through
waterways like rivers and seas. When they finished
building their sailboat and began using it, they
realized it could also be used during a war.
The Sumerian sailboat was made of light materials,
allowing it to float as well as be easily transported
from land to sea and back. The boats were
constructed from wood bundles and a material known as papyrus. The sails were made of linen or
papyrus and were rectangular or square in shape. Raising the sidewalls protected the oarsmen from
attack. The boat's platforms were raised so that the archers could aim their bows and arrows more
precisely at the enemies. Rams were added to the front of sailboats in later years to smash through
enemy ships during battle. Because sailing technology was based on wind rather than mechanized
technology, the boats were not as advanced as warships would become, but the development of
the sailboat was a huge step forward in military tactics and planning.
These simple boats could be used to transport people and goods upstream and downstream, as well
as to navigate difficult waterways or inclement weather. The invention of the sailboat facilitated
trade, travel, and warfare. Aside from that, it enabled the people of Mesopotamia, particularly the
Sumerian civilization, to obtain foods and goods that were unavailable in their home region.
Wheel
Period developed: approximately 4th millennium BC
Where: Lower Mesopotamia (modern-day Iraq)
Who: The Sumerians
The Sumerian people inserted rotating axles into solid discs of
wood. It was only in 2000 BC that the discs began to be hollowed
out to make a lighter wheel.
The concept of the wheel actually grew out of a mechanical
device that the Sumerians had invented shortly after 3500 B.C.—
the potter’s wheel. No other civilization of their time had one.
This was a heavy flat disk made of hardened clay. It was spun horizontally on an axis to allow the
potter to form evenly shaped jars and bowls from wet clay. The Sumerians didn’t, however,
simply turn this clay-splattered wheel on its end and hook it to a wagon to make a wheel. Instead,
the concept of the wheel went through many stages of development before it became a practical
method for moving heavy objects from one location to another. The Sumerian people inserted
rotating axles into solid discs of wood. It was only in 2000 BC that the discs began to be hollowed
out to make a lighter wheel.
Wheels make it easier to push things because it reduces friction. Newton's 3rd Law states that "For
every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction". When you try to push a heavy load on the
ground, the force transmits through the load to the surface it rests on. This is the action. The
corresponding reaction is the force of friction acting backwards and is dependent on both the nature
of the surfaces in contact and the weight of the load. This is known as static friction or stiction and
applies to dry surfaces in contact. Initially the reaction matches the action in magnitude and the
load doesn't move, but eventually if you push hard enough, the friction force reaches a limit and
doesn't increase further. If you push harder, you exceed the limiting friction force and the load
starts to slide. The force of friction however continues to oppose motion (it reduces a bit once
motion starts), and if the load is very heavy and/or the surfaces in contact have a high coefficient
of friction, it can be difficult to slide it.

Wheels eliminate this friction force by using leverage and an axle. They still need friction so that
they can "push back" on the ground on which they roll, otherwise slippage occurs. This force
however doesn't oppose motion or make it more difficult for the wheel to roll.

The invention of the wheel represented a major turning point in human civilization. By using the
wheel, mankind gained the ability to work more efficiently and travel more quickly. But the wheel
was first used for the purpose of pot making.

This innovation led to major advances in two main areas. First, transport: the wheel began to be
used on carts and battle chariots. Second, and more importantly, it contributed to the mechanization
of agriculture (animal traction, crop irrigation) and craft industries (for example, the centrifugal
force of the wheel is the basic mechanism in windmills).
Wheel carts made it much easier to move goods over long distances. Oxen could pull three times
more weight on wheeled carts than they could on sledges.
Cuneiform
Period developed: 3300 – 3200 BC
Where: Ancient city-state of Uruk, in present-day
Iraq
Who: The Sumerians
The earliest writing we know of dates back to
around 3000 B.C.E. and was probably invented by
the Sumerians, living in major cities with
centralized economies in what is now southern Iraq.
The earliest tablets with written inscriptions
represent the work of administrators, perhaps of
large temple institutions, recording the allocation of rations or the movement and storage of goods.
Temple officials needed to keep records of the grain, sheep, and cattle entering or leaving their
stores and farms and it became impossible to rely on memory. So, an alternative method was
required and the very earliest texts were pictures of the items scribes needed to record (known as
pictographs).
Writing, the recording of a spoken language, emerged from earlier recording systems at the end of
the fourth millennium. The first written language in Mesopotamia is called Sumerian. Most of the
early tablets come from the site of Uruk, in southern Mesopotamia, and it may have been here that
this form of writing was invented.
These texts were drawn on damp clay tablets using a pointed tool. It seems the scribes realized it
was quicker and easier to produce representations of such things as animals, rather than naturalistic
impressions of them. They began to draw marks in the clay to make up signs, which were
standardized so they could be recognized by many people.
From these beginnings, cuneiform signs were put together and developed to represent sounds, so
they could be used to record spoken language. Once this was achieved, ideas and concepts could
be expressed and communicated in writing.
Cuneiform is one of the oldest forms of writing known. It means "wedge-shaped," because people
wrote it using a reed stylus cut to make a wedge-shaped mark on a clay tablet.
Letters enclosed in clay envelopes, as well as works of literature, such as the Epic of Gilgamesh
have been found. Historical accounts have also come to light, as have huge libraries such as that
belonging to the Assyrian king, Ashurbanipal. Cuneiform writing was used to record a variety of
information such as temple activities, business, and trade. Cuneiform was also used to write stories,
myths, and personal letters.
The best known piece of literature from ancient Mesopotamia is the story of Gilgamesh, a
legendary ruler of Uruk, and his search for immortality. The Epic of Gilgamesh is a huge work,
the longest piece of literature in Akkadian (the language of Babylonia and Assyria). It was known
across the ancient Near East, with versions also found at Hattusas (capital of the Hittites), Emar in
Syria, and Megiddo in the Levant.
This, the eleventh tablet of the Epic, describes the meeting of Gilgamesh with Utnapishtim. Like
Noah in the Hebrew Bible, Utnapishtim had been forewarned of a plan by the gods to send a great
flood. He built a boat and loaded it with all his precious possessions, his kith and kin, domesticated
and wild animals and skilled craftsmen of every kind.
This tablet contains both a cuneiform inscription and a unique map of the Mesopotamian world.
Babylon is shown in the center (the rectangle in the top half of the circle), and Assyria, Elam and
other places are also named.
The central area is ringed by a circular waterway labelled "Salt-Sea." The outer rim of the sea is
surrounded by what were probably originally eight regions, each indicated by a triangle, labelled
"Region" or "Island," and marked with the distance in between.

The Plow
Period developed: Between 3100 and 1500 BC
Where: Mesopotamia
Who: The Sumerians
The Mesopotamian seeder plow was invented
around 1500 BCE. It was used by the
Mesopotamians to make farming more efficient
than doing it all by hand. The plow was worked by an animal (mainly an oxen) pulling the plow,
the plow making a furrow in the ground, then seeds being poured into a funnel to be put into the
furrows the plow made. This allowed for farming to be more efficient, which was the main goal
of this invention. It also had to be worked by three people. The first had to guide the animal pulling
the plow, the second to actually steer the plow, and the third to pour seeds into the funnel. This
invention saw a great success and led to a huge population boom within the Mesopotamian
civilization.

However, the seeder plow had both positive and negative impacts on the ancient world. While the
seeder plow made farming more efficient and caused a major population growth, it also had some
negative impacts as well. For one Mesopotamia was on the fertile crescent, and while this area was
great for farming Mesopotamia lacked the metals and other materials needed for the plow to be
made. This caused their production to be much slower than if they had the materials to make the
plow in their area. It also required three people to work. While it did make farming more efficient
than by hand, it still took a lot of labor and people to work.The seeder plow also led to the
inventions of modern farming technology such as the tractor. The tractor was a major technological
advancement for farmers because it allowed more work to be done in even less time than it took
by the seeder plow and by hand. The tractor was first invented in 1892 by John Frolich. This led
to many farms going from having hundreds of workers to only one farmer being able to the same
amount of work. The seeder plow was a major advancement in farming technology. It caused the
ancient world to flourish and prosper, it had positive and negative impacts on the ancient and
modern worlds, and it paved the way for modern inventions in the farming industry.