Sumer
Overview
Sumer was a civilization
and historical region in southern Mesopotamia
, modern Iraq
during the Chalcolithic and Early Bronze Age.
Sumer was first settled between 4500 and 4001 BC by a non-Semitic people who possibly did not speak the Sumerian language
(as evidenced by names of cities, rivers, basic occupations, etc.). These people are now called proto-Euphrateans or Ubaidians
, and had evolved from the Samarra culture of northern Mesopotamia
.
Civilization
Civilization is a sometimes controversial term that has been used in several related ways. Primarily, the term has been used to refer to the material and instrumental side of human cultures that are complex in terms of technology, science, and division of labor. Such civilizations are generally...
and historical region in southern Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia is a toponym for the area of the Tigris–Euphrates river system, largely corresponding to modern-day Iraq, northeastern Syria, southeastern Turkey and southwestern Iran.Widely considered to be the cradle of civilization, Bronze Age Mesopotamia included Sumer and the...
, modern Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
during the Chalcolithic and Early Bronze Age.
Sumer was first settled between 4500 and 4001 BC by a non-Semitic people who possibly did not speak the Sumerian language
Sumerian language
Sumerian is the language of ancient Sumer, which was spoken in southern Mesopotamia since at least the 4th millennium BC. During the 3rd millennium BC, there developed a very intimate cultural symbiosis between the Sumerians and the Akkadians, which included widespread bilingualism...
(as evidenced by names of cities, rivers, basic occupations, etc.). These people are now called proto-Euphrateans or Ubaidians
Ubaid period
The Ubaid period is a prehistoric period of Mesopotamia. The tell of al-`Ubaid west of nearby Ur in southern Iraq's Dhi Qar Governorate has given its name to the prehistoric Pottery Neolithic to Chalcolithic culture, which represents the earliest settlement on the alluvial plain of southern...
, and had evolved from the Samarra culture of northern Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia is a toponym for the area of the Tigris–Euphrates river system, largely corresponding to modern-day Iraq, northeastern Syria, southeastern Turkey and southwestern Iran.Widely considered to be the cradle of civilization, Bronze Age Mesopotamia included Sumer and the...
.
