Sumerian civilization
According to the opinions of historians and history scholars - the Sumerian civilization fascinated the eyes of researchers and won the admiration of scholars throughout the ages until our present day. Some attributed to it the precedence and civilizational progress and they still continue to express this fascination - while the opinions of some scholars of history and civilization regarding the Iraqi Sumerian civilization follow.
-Firstly - the opinion of Professor Burhard Bernitz - he mentions in his book - The Rise of Ancient Civilizations - that the Sumerian people are the owners of the first written civilization in history, and he adds in another place in the book, comparing Egypt to Sumer - Mesopotamia occupied the first place when compared to other civilizational regions that flourished. In the meantime, Egypt did not join it until the middle of the third millennium BC. From the point of view of historical and social development, it can be said that Mesopotamia It occupied the first place in the ancient world during the time period between 4500-3500 BC. It completes the comparison between the countries of the ancient Near East and mentions - Iran, Syria, Palestine, and even Egypt - were far behind in their development from Mesopotamia, despite the fact that they developed quickly and at different rates.
- Secondly - The opinion of the Greek historian - Herodotus - He mentions that Egypt is the oldest civilized country in the world - His family responds - Burhard Prentiss - It has now become clear that the emergence of Egyptian civilization was several ages behind the civilization of Anterior Asia - and this is what was confirmed by - Henry Frankfurt - Egyptologist and scholar An archaeologist and professor from the Netherlands in his book - The Dawn of Civilization in the Near East - where he wrote in his introduction justifying his choice of the following topic - I limited my research to Egypt and Mesopotamia, the centers of culture in the ancient Near East, but Egypt was influenced during its development by the Mesopotamian civilization.
-Third - The opinion of Professor William Langer, Head of the History Department at Harvard University, states in the first part of his book - The Encyclopedia of World History - the following - The Sumerians had war chariots drawn by donkeys a thousand years before the Egyptians knew about them. He attributed the credit to the Sumerians for establishing the first systems. Commercial, banking, legal, scales, and written contracts. He confirms that the Sumerians were the first to enact a written city law in which they determined prices and wages, in addition to their method of inventing the sexagesimal system of numbers and their invention of writing.
- Fourth - The opinion of the English thinker - Herbut George Wells - author of the book - A Brief History of the World - that the Sumerians discovered bronze and were the first to erect large temples such as towers.
-Fifth- The opinion of the American historian - George Sarton - author of the book - The History of Science -It is known that the Sumerian civilization dominated the ancient Near East from approximately 3500 to 2000 BC, and that the Egyptian Empire did not reach its peak until the end of the sixteenth century BC, and that Mesopotamian literature was the cradle of Egyptian literature and that it is the oldest literature from which written examples have come to us.
- Sixth - The opinion of Professor - Samuel Noah Kramer - Ukrainian-born, American national - a global expert in Sumerian history - and he is one of the deepest researchers in Sumerian issues and the most comprehensive in theory and reading. He has several books and publications, the most prominent of which is his book - History Beginning with Sumer - he mentions the following - To these people The Sumerians are credited with establishing a covenant that is considered one of the most creative and innovative in the history of the ancient Near East. Therefore, it was extremely important and influential in the history of all human civilization. Sumer witnessed the establishment of the first urban centers created by man.
-Seventh- The opinion of Professor Durant - the author of the book The Story of Civilization - the following - The Sumerian civilization is the first known in history of a vast, comprehensive and unique civilization, and it is one of the greatest innovations. He confirms that the oldest written records that have reached us are the Sumerian records. It is noted that many elements in Egyptian culture are taken from Mesopotamian culture, and that the pottery wheel appeared in Sumer long before Egypt, and that engraving and the art of sculpture were known in Sumer at a time when it appears that Egyptian civilization has no longer begun.
Eighth - The opinion of Professor James Henry Breasted - an American archaeologist and historian - who rejects the primacy of the Sumerian civilization over the Egyptian civilization - Response to the opinion of Breasted - At a time when the Sumerians believed that their kings were agents of the gods, the Egyptians saw that their kings were gods in the flesh - and the Sumerian civilization She is the first to have the first place, according to the evidence and confirmation of the sources of archaeological history, and here she is the clay figure, talking about the ancient inhabitants of Mesopotamia, including the Sumerians, and telling their news to the world over the centuries, if they were the first to build the edifice of civilization in history, the first to establish the concepts of the state, and the oldest to invent - writing - the law - the wheel. - When their message became great, they left their paradise - Eden - and the expanse between the two rivers, the Tigris and the Euphrates, carrying torches of knowledge and light to spread civilization in the ancient world.
Sources
The Book of the Sumerians in History, pp. 12-85-86-87-88-89 - Dr. Azmi Sukkar
Written on Clay - Book Conclusion - Edward Chiera