First Civilization

Sumer is considered the first civilization and the first sedentary people in the world’s history. It emerged and throve in southern Mesopotamia, along the Euphrates and the Tigris river, as independent city-states, in the Middle East. It began around 5300 BC, lasting until the 2nd millennium BC. The most important cities were Ur, Lagash, and Kish, which were ruled by kings.

The cities of Sumer were the first to practice intensive, year-round agriculture. The surplus of storable foodstuffs created by this economy allowed the population to settle in one place instead of migrating from place to place after crops. Aside from being farmers, they also raised cattle and sheep. With plentiful harvest, the need for storage vessels arose, giving birth to the pottery industry. Society became stratified, and  the political and social organization more complex. And this organization led to the necessity of record keeping and the development of writing and law.

The kings of Ur became the effective rulers of Sumer, in the first dynasty of Ur established by the king Mesannepada, who is on the king list and is named as a son of Meskalamdug on one artifact. The first dynasty was ended by an attack of Sargon of Akkad around 2340 BC. Not much is known about the following second dynasty.

The third dynasty was established when the king Ur-Nammu came to power, ruling between ca. 2112 BC and 2094 BC. During his rule, temples were built, and agriculture was improved through irrigation. His code of laws, the Code of Ur-Nammu, is one of the oldest such documents known. The third dynasty fell around 1950 BC to the Elamites. Later, Babylon captured the city.

Map of Mesopotamia in the Middle East, showing the location of Sumer, with the cities of Ur, Lagash, and Kish