Old school essay: Sumeria

SUMERIA

Essay make-up work from oral exam

                                                                                                                      Nicole Roberts 5-10-11

Sumeria was a very advanced ancient civilization for instance: They created a language and a way of writing using cuneiform, or wedge writing. They made signs that were so unlike the objects they represented that they became symbols of sounds rather then of things.

Another example to how advanced Sumeria was is Paris, 200 yrs ago they figured out, (pipe) plumbing out of town,which when they didn’t have it they just threw their sewage out on the streets, unlike Sumeria who had out of town (pipe) plumbing 3000 years ago.

Sumeria also started the first code law, known as Hammurabi's law, and also started the first in many things such as: The first states, the first empires, the first irrigation, the first use of gold and silver as standards of value, temple edifice, the first business contracts, credit system, extensive development in writing, stories of the creation and the flood, the first libraries and schools, literature and poetry, cosmetics and jewelry, sculpture and bas relief, and so much more.

A lot of the things Sumeria had back in the day, we still use today. And maybe without the systems they came up with we could have taken much longer to invent those things and advance to where we are now.

Although the people were smart in building things and creating things, they did not seem to have very good family relationships, Durant says.

                “She exercised equal rights with her husband

over their children; the estate as well as the home.

She could engage in business independently of her husband,

and could keep or dispose of her own slaves.

Sometimes, like Shub-ad, she could rise to the status

of queen, and rule her city with luxurious and imperious grace.

But in all crises the man was lord and master.

Under certain conditions he could sell his wife,

or hand her over as a slave to pay his debts....”

Family just didn’t seem as important, marriage didn’t sound very important, more like when the husband got bored he could just get rid of his wife and get another, which is a very sad thing. In our world today we are doing the same thing, divorces are frequent not rare, and nobody is surprised by them, which to me seems very pathetic, for marriage is such a strong covenant. The women still had rights as it says here, but of which were more focused on family things, unlike the husband who had way more rights for they were the true one’s who ruled over the home, and politics. Although the women could become Queen as Durant mentioned above, “But in all crisis the man was lord and master.”  

    As read from Durant.

        “A system of credit existed by which goods,

gold or silver might be borrowed,

interest to be paid in the same material as the loan,

and at rates ranging from 15 to 33% per annum.

In the United States of America today, we have 4% and lower rates for loans.

                             You can just see how much we depend on the government today.

    Sumeria was very prosperous although Greece, Rome and the Jews didn’t know much about them.
They were wealthy which shows in their care for luxuries such as jewelry, cosmetics, and fine woven or lace clothing. the woman were usually heavily jeweled and the men some clean shaved, and most at least their upper lip, and had beards.
    Sumeria was the first of many things, including the first civilization we have records of.
    They were big in art which consisted of: Temples, statuary of animals, or heroes, and gods, pottery, and gold work or gold vessels (the more tasteful in design and delicate in finish). They had brilliant mastery as Durant said.
    While they had the first good things they also had some of the sins of a civilization: Slavery, despotism, ecclesiasticism, and imperialistic war.   
    Art is important in a civilization, but Sumeria got consumed in its luxuries.
The men soon were becoming more feminine.
Morals decreased, and homosexuality, and cowardice took place.
Defense was not important only art and luxury.

Rome had three laws to keep it united and not to end up how Sumeria did naming:

• No homosexuality
• No cowardice
• No murder

These things keep civilization going and without them you will fall into the worldly desires of your heart and your civilization will fall, as so many did just as Sumeria.