Scientific progress in the Sumerian civilization.. 9 innovations that appeared thousands of years ago.. The Sumerians developed engineering to create canals.. They designed chariots for celebrations.. They used plows for agriculture.. And they knew how to make metals
The late historian Samuel Noah Kramer wrote that the people of Sumer had an unusual penchant for technological invention, especially since the ancient Sumerians built their civilization and flourished thousands of years ago between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in what is known today as southern Iraq.
Philip Jones, assistant curator and head of the Babylonian Department at the Penn Museum in Philadelphia, said that the Sumerians invented new technologies, provided nutritional meals, built dwellings, communicated and tracked information. The Sumerians’ creativity was motivated to some extent by the lack of natural resources for their land. They had a number of There are few trees, there is hardly any stone or metal, and this forced them to use materials such as clay - plastic in the ancient world, according to what was reported by the "History" website.
Villette explained that the real genius of the Sumerians came from organizational processes, as they had the ability to take inventions that had been developed elsewhere and apply them on a much larger scale, and in this way they could produce huge goods such as textiles and pottery. They can then trade it with other people.
Villette pointed out that there was something in the Sumerian identity that pushed them to dream big and think brilliantly, as they put great pressure to achieve what they aspired to in order to achieve success.
The Sumerians' innovations gradually spread and led to the development of the modern technological world in which we live today. Below are some of the areas where the Sumerians left their mark.
Mass produced pottery
The Sumerians were the first to develop the turning wheel for making pottery, so the turning processes allowed them to produce large quantities such as workers' ration containers.
Writing
Although it is not 100% certain, the Sumerians were the first to develop a writing system, but they were clearly using written communication by 2800 BC. They did not set out to write great literature or record their history but to keep track of the goods they were making and selling. Their first texts were just numbers and commodities.
Engineering
The Sumerians discovered how to collect and channel the surplus from the Tigris and Euphrates rivers - and the rich silt they contained - and then use it to irrigate and fertilize their agricultural fields. They designed complex systems of canals, creating dams of reeds, palm trunks and clay whose gates could be opened or closed to regulate the flow of water.
trolley
The Sumerians did not invent wheeled vehicles, but they may have developed the first two-wheeled vehicle that drove a group of animals. There is evidence that the Sumerians had chariots for transportation in the third century BC, but they may have been used in ceremonies or by the military rather than as a vehicle. To get around the countryside, where the rough terrain made wheeled travel difficult.
Plow
The Sumerians invented the plough, a vital technology in agriculture. They even issued a manual that gave farmers detailed instructions on how to use different types of plows, and specified the prayers that should be recited to honor Ninkelim, the “goddess of the field rodents,” in order to protect the grains from being eaten.
Textile factories
While other cultures in the Middle East collected wool and used it to weave fabrics and clothing, the Sumerians were the first to do this on an industrial scale, and it is noted that the Sumerians formed larger labor organizations to make textiles.
Mass produced bricks
To make up for the shortage of stones and wood to build homes and temples, the Sumerians created molds for making clay bricks. Although they were not the first to use clay as a building material, the innovation was the ability to mass-produce bricks and put them together on a large scale. Their buildings may not have been As durable as stone buildings but they were able to build more of them and create larger cities.
Metallurgy
The Sumerians were among the first people to use copper to make useful objects, ranging from spearheads to chisels and razor blades. They also made art from copper including dramatic paintings depicting fantastical animals such as a lion-headed eagle.
mathematics
It was the Sumerians who developed a formal numbering system based on units of 60. With the development of cuneiform, they used vertical marks on clay tablets. Their system helped lay the foundations for the mathematical calculations of the civilizations that followed.
Source: websites