Independent Sumerian City-States

1. Independent Sumerian City-States Chapter 3 Lesson 2

2. Objectives • Explain the relationship among city-states • Understand the religious beliefs of people in city-states

3. Vocabulary • City-state – a walled city and the land all around it • Monarchy – governing system ruled by a king or queen • Authority – power • Polytheism – belief in many gods • Caravan – groups of traders traveling together on a long journey • Architecture – building style

4. The Emergence of Cities • The world’s first city-states developed in Sumer • Each city-state had its own government • Shared a writing system, language and religion • City-states marked the development of early civilization in Sumer

5. Government and Religion • The Sumerian city-states’ need for strong leaders led to the development of a monarchy • Religion was important to the Sumerians, who practiced Polytheism

6. A Commercial Society • The cities of Sumer had economies based on economic surpluses • Surpluses of crops allowed some Sumerians to work outside of farming, in jobs such as craftwork, metalwork, and building • Surpluses also allowed the Sumerians to trade for resources they did not have • Traded resources over long distances using caravans

7. Discoveries at Ur • The city of Ur was once close to the Euphrates River • The river changed course, and today the land is a desert • Archaeologists have uncovered many artifacts at Ur

8. Summary • Some Sumerian cities grew into city-states, which led to an early civilization in Mesopotamia • The Sumerians had an advanced government, economy, and society • The discoveries at Ur show much about how the Sumerians lived.