According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, a civilization is a well-organized and developed society. Sumer is an excellent example of that. Sumer was an advanced civilization that started around 5500 B.C.E. to 4000 B.C.E. and ended around 1700 B.C.E.. All civilizations have the seven characteristics of civilization; agriculture, technology, government, religion, language, social structure, and the arts. Sumer had sophisticated versions of all these characteristics. However, the three most important characteristics, especially in Sumer, were agriculture, technology, and language.
The most important characteristic of civilization is a stable food supply. A stable food supply is the essence of civilization, because a civilization cannot exist if there is no stable food supply. In the Paleolithic Age the food supply fluctuated because agriculture didn’t exist yet and humans were hunting and gathering food. However, in the Neolithic Age agriculture came into existence and people could live in one place and no …show more content…
The verbal language of the Sumerians was Sumerian, but the written language was a little more complicated. The Sumerians’ written language was cuneiform, which evolved from an earlier language of symbols and pictographs, similiar to Egyptian hieroglyphics. Cuneiform was made up of wedge shapes and was written with a blunt wedge-shaped end of a reed on a clay tablet or engraved in stone. Cuneiform was invented in the late 4000s B.C.E. and was no longer used by the 200s C.E. and was deciphered in the 1835 by Henry Rawlinson. Henry deciphered the Behitsun Inscription, an inscription about historical events that jhappened during the time of King Darius of the Persian Empire. The inscription was in cuneiform and was created sometime from 522 B.C.E. TO 486 B.C.E.. Cuneiform was important to language development throughout history becausde without all of the early languages there would likely be no language at
The most important characteristic of civilization is a stable food supply. A stable food supply is the essence of civilization, because a civilization cannot exist if there is no stable food supply. In the Paleolithic Age the food supply fluctuated because agriculture didn’t exist yet and humans were hunting and gathering food. However, in the Neolithic Age agriculture came into existence and people could live in one place and no …show more content…
The verbal language of the Sumerians was Sumerian, but the written language was a little more complicated. The Sumerians’ written language was cuneiform, which evolved from an earlier language of symbols and pictographs, similiar to Egyptian hieroglyphics. Cuneiform was made up of wedge shapes and was written with a blunt wedge-shaped end of a reed on a clay tablet or engraved in stone. Cuneiform was invented in the late 4000s B.C.E. and was no longer used by the 200s C.E. and was deciphered in the 1835 by Henry Rawlinson. Henry deciphered the Behitsun Inscription, an inscription about historical events that jhappened during the time of King Darius of the Persian Empire. The inscription was in cuneiform and was created sometime from 522 B.C.E. TO 486 B.C.E.. Cuneiform was important to language development throughout history becausde without all of the early languages there would likely be no language at