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Sumer

Early farming began around 11,000 years ago as the earth warmed and populations grew. People began domesticating plants and animals, settling down, and growing crops. One early civilization, Sumer, developed along the fertile Tigres and Euphrates rivers, making farming easier. The Sumerians invented irrigation to water crops year-round, producing a surplus of food. This allowed specialization of jobs and the growth of towns as farmers, artisans, and traders exchanged goods. As towns expanded, governments, religions, and record-keeping developed to manage larger populations.

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307 views11 pages

Sumer

Early farming began around 11,000 years ago as the earth warmed and populations grew. People began domesticating plants and animals, settling down, and growing crops. One early civilization, Sumer, developed along the fertile Tigres and Euphrates rivers, making farming easier. The Sumerians invented irrigation to water crops year-round, producing a surplus of food. This allowed specialization of jobs and the growth of towns as farmers, artisans, and traders exchanged goods. As towns expanded, governments, religions, and record-keeping developed to manage larger populations.

Uploaded by

api-240715816
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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The first farms

Domesticating and farming


Started about 11,000 years ago in the Fertile
Crescent
The earth was getting warmer= growth of
population and decrease in the amount of food
available
People understood that they can grow crops by
planting seeds
They were able to domesticate animals to have
a food source without hunting and to help with
the farm work

Settling Down
People started to clear land and grow their
crops
They started to build huts of stone and
mud
People started to live beside each other
Villages started to grow

Fertile Crescent
The land around the Tigres and the
Euphrates Rivers often flooded which
gave the soil lots of nutrients
This made it easier for people to grow
crops
One civilization that developed was called
Sumer

Sumer
The Sumerians developed irrigation- a
way to water their crops all year long
People started to argue over control of
water
The villages had assemblies to discuss
problems
Government started to form

Advancements
Sumerians were able to produce more
food than they needed for their familiesthis is called a surplus
Because of this, not everyone needed to
farm
New jobs were created like artisans: cloth
weavers, people who made leather goods,
built furniture

Villages became towns as some people


were farmers and could provide for the
whole town.
Artisans provided other goods and people
were able to trade.

Government
Towns were getting larger, and people
needed rules
People would choose leaders to represent
them
People were also afraid of getting attacked
by other communities
Armies started to develop

Religion
People were polytheistic
As towns got bigger and wealthier, people
would build temples to each God

Trade
Trading started to grow
People used barter (trading goods for
other goods) or they would give silver
Record keeping on clay tablets was used
to help record what was sold
This opened up even newer jobs-scribes
(people who write)
Developed writing systems

Homework
1. Name a problem early farmers faced in
Sumer. How did they solve this problem?
2. What happened when farmers in ancient
Sumer produced a surplus of food? How
did this lead to the growth of towns?
3. How did the growth of towns affect
government, religion and trade?

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