The Ubaid culture and their descendants (the Sumerians) built the first cities, invented the wheel, and gave us astronomy and mathematics to name a few of their contributions to the world. Not only did they innovate, they created a new way of life that still permeates through the life of people of the 21st century.
One of the Sumerian myths tells of the goddess Inanna who received the gifts of civilization from the God of Wisdom and bestowed these gifts to humans. These gifts included knowledge, power, art, leadership, kindness, fire, metals. However, the gifts also included war, deception, treachery, plundering of cities, corruption. But for humans to accept these gifts, they had to take the good with the bad (Pandora’s box). Thus, we can understand that civilization gave us not only amazing things but also misery, poverty, slavery, greed, and other scourges still found in the world today.
We know about this myth and many others because the Sumerians invented a writing system we call cuneiform that archeologists were able to decipher. In fact, our knowledge of Sumerian culture through their own writings tells us that their influence is still felt today. Their myths include many that bear a remarkable resemblance to Judeo-Christian myths, such as the tree of knowledge, Noah’s flood, the garden of Eden, as well as many Greek and Roman myths. Inanna became Aphrodite in Greek mythology, Venus, goddess of love in Roman mythology, and Ishtar the goddess of fertility of the Babylonian.
Do some research on the legacy of Sumer. Because they invented and innovated so much, you can select to write about one of the three following innovations of the Sumerians.
1. You can write a short paper on the number system they invented (the sexagesimal system we still use today, i.e., 60 seconds, 60 minutes, etc.).
2. You can write a short paper on their innovation in medicine and general treatment of diseases.
3. You can write a short paper on the cuneiform system and how the cuneiform writing worked.