Chapter 3

Mesopotamia Section III: Sumerian Achievements

Section Focus

• Sumer & Mesopotamia made many contributions.

• Made advancements in religion, government,

culture, and society.

• Many passed down

to later civilizations

and still used today.

The Invention of Writing

• Sumerians invented world’s first

writing system (cuneiform).

• Began as pictographs but

developed into symbols

for words.

• Scribes wrote on

clay tablets with

a stylus. Translate

The Invention of Writing

• First used for business then

government records.

• Also used to write books about

history, poems, and math.

Advances and Inventions

• Made other discoveries that changed lives, such as:

– The wheel

– The plow

– The sailboat

– Bricks

– Sewers

– Alphabet, Art, Architecture, & Music

Advances and Inventions

• Discovered medicines for healing.

• Developed 12 month

calendar based on moon.

• Developed number system

based on 60 & built first clock.

• Mesopotamia was one of the

most powerful and influential

civilizations of the ancient world.