Sumer+Essay+09

Growth From the Ruins of the Sumerians Brynne Montgomery- decline of Sumer essay



The similarities between, the Decline/ Fall of Civilizations through out the years is undeniable. Sumer is not set apart form these differences despite being one of the first civilization of its kind if not over all. Similar problems like lack of resources, over taxing of the civilizations armies, and inability to hold together the framework of the civilization and thus venerable to attack, can all be integrated into the decline of the Sumerians though more complex and separate in closer detail. But there is a difference the essence of their civilisation the core of whom they are, their worldview, their art and literature, their science and ethical ideas, their identity as a culture survived the fall of its people. The Sumerian culture poured into and though the surrounding lands thought its history only to be adopted by their conquerors. Through out the ancient world, aspects of the Sumerain culture have scattered like seed to what are now old oak trees. In short __the Sumerian culture did not fall with its people it was not snuffed out but adopted and intertwined with other people and other cultures of different people continuing to grow and learn and teach, through out the ancient world leading so indirectly to what our ancestors have built us today what we will hopefully continue to build.__

Clear influences have been found and pondered by archaeologists. The great civilizations that even young children have herd of have adopted and continued on ideas and concepts founded by the Sumerians. Ancient Greek literature had a theme in texts about the Persian wars and the battles of Alexander the great, was images of vulture carrying away the heads of their defeated enemies. This same imagery that was used so effectively by the Greeks holds it organs nearly 2000 years previously in the “stele of vultures” commissioned by Ennatum king of Lagash when he defeated the king of Umma, two distinctive city-states of Sumeria. This tablet is not only significant because it depicts the astounding technological achievement of their civilization but proof positive that this idea this cultural psychological idea last nearly two thousand years to be one of the important aspects of Greek literature.

The Sumerians were also the mastermind behind many of the scientific and mathematical principles we rely on today from the number of days in a week and the number of minutes in an hour to astrological star charts we use today. They created the mathematical ideas and ground work in quadratic equations that mad it possible for the Greeks to expand in such a way that made geometry the same geometric principles we learn and use today.

The Sumerians even through their decline maintained a respect from others for their culture even though their enemies were jealous of their fertile land they still respected and revered the Sumerian ideology. One example of this is Sargon the great; he was a Semitic ruler from Akkad a hilled and rocky land just north of Sumer. He held the Sumerians in such respect he incorporated the Sumerian culture into his own and founded an akkaidian/ sumaerian civilisation that actually caused Sumer to grow and prosper. Another example of the respect that Sumer’s culture inspired was their final defeater, king Hamerabi founder of the Babylonian empire, he integrated the ideas and go of the Sumerians into his own kingdom his new civilization he based his now famous law codes on the laws of the Sumerian people.

The Sumerian Civilization was weakened and has fallen as most civilizations do, but the Sumerian culture lived on past its people it was adopted and incorporated by civilizations after and during its power, creating new views and opening doors that may have been closed to them. All things that go up must come down, the same rue applies to us and our civilization, but who we are and what we have learned shouldn’t have to stop. It can last if we let and if we want it too, if we want the people who come after us to know who we are and who we are not.