The Sumerians: History's First Recorded Civilization
by Duncan Ryan /
2016 / English / PDF
1.6 MB Download
In the study of history, it is common that we celebrate and attach importance to the great "firsts" that arise. The ancient Sumerians can be said to be the first true historical civilization, as it was they that invented the written language that would allow historians to look back at accounts of ancient events.
Arising from proto-historic roots in the southernmost region of Mesopotamia, the Sumerians would gradually rise to become the world's first true civilization, predating even ancient Egypt and the Indus Valley civilization. They would be among the first to organize their communities into larger cities, develop central administration, grow crops using complex methods of irrigation, and by the time their more than 1,000 year domination of Mesopotamia was over, would become the template and inspiration for the great civilizations of Assyria and Babylon that were to follow them.
The Sumerians: History's First Recorded Civilization is a historical book meant to be informative yet approachable, and requires no background in the study of Near Eastern languages or civilizations. This book conveys to the reader the remarkable history of this earliest of known human civilizations in an enjoyable and easy to comprehend manner. Containing several full-color illustrations, a historical summary of the periods of history that led to the Sumerian era and comprised it, descriptions of key archaeological sites, a section on the historical deciphrement of the Sumerian language, a selected bibliography of key works for those who wish to learn more about the Sumerians, and much, much more, this book endeavors to act as a key piece of groundwork for the history buff ted in learning about the first civilization in recorded history itself.
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