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Dictionary definition: Sumerians
- Article from:
- A Dictionary of World History
Copyright© A Dictionary of World History 2000, originally published by Oxford University Press 2000. (Hide copyright information)
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Sumerians
A people living in southern Mesopotamia in the 4th and 3rd millennia BC. By 3000 BC a number of city states had developed in Sumer, such as
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, Eridu, and
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. The Sumerians are credited with inventing the cuneiform system of writing, which was originally pictographic but gradually became stylized. Many simple inscriptions survive as evidence of this development; they also attest the increase in administration that accompanied urban growth. Their literature contains references to myths, hymns, and incantations. They developed a legal system, supported by complex political and economic organization. Their technological achievements included wheeled vehicles and ...