Contributions And legacies
In Ancient Mesopotamia, they created many inventions that we use in today's 21st century. For example, a famous thing that they created was the wheel. You probably used a wheel already today! By going on the school bus, or in the car, you are experiencing what the Mesopotamia's invented. As, for their legacy, they left a pretty big one! They gave us the belief of gods and goddesses. The Babylonians, Assyrians, and Sumerians all believed that the gods existed. Lets learn more about it!
inventions
In Ancient Mesopotamia, there were many inventions. Some were the sailboat, wheel, plow, arch, and a chariot. They also invented the first written language called cuneiform!
Cuneiform was a highly developed written language created by the Sumerians. This name comes from a Latin word meaning "wedge." This is because they used a wedge-shaped stylus to etch their writing on clay tablets. This form of writing was developed around 2400 B.C.E. At first, they may have used as many as 2,000 symbols to stand for ideas and sounds. Over the years, the syllables were reduced to 700. Cuneiform was based on an earlier form of writing called pictographs. They are symbols that stand for real objects, For example, a picture of a bird would stand for a bird. Scribes drew the symbols with a sharp reed on wet clay. Once the clay dried, the marks were permanent.
One of the most important inventions was the wheel, invented by the Sumerians. It dates back to 3500 B.C.E., when the wheel was invented. Sumerian potters used wheels as surfaces for sharpening clay pots. Sumerians also discovered that if a wheel was flipped onto its edge, it could be rolled forward. They took this technique as an advantage and used the discovery to create wheeled carts for farmers and chariots in the army. They did this by clamping pieces of wood together. Wheeled carts made the process much easier to move long distances. Oxen could pull three times more wight on wheeled carts than they could regularly.
Another advance in the history of Mesopotamia was the arch. The arch was invented by the Sumerians. They were U or V shaped structures built over doorways. To build arches, the Sumerians stacked mud bricks (made of clay) and straw so that they rose from the walls until they met in the center. Arches added beauty and strength to the buildings. They were typically for the first class. (because they could afford them) They were also put on temple entrances. This is one of Mesopotamia's greatest achievement!
Finally, also what was invented was: games and toys including the game of checkers, cylinder seals (the first superhero) and many tools and implements used for farming. Plus, the Sumerians created a math system that we still use today! They based their math system on the number 60 and said that there are 60 minutes in a hour, and that a circle had 360 degrees. The Babylonian empire invented a written set of laws. Isn't that like what we use today?
Legacies
Ancient Mesopotamia made sure to always keep improving itself. For example, for protection, they started to build walls around their cities. Towns were able to grow form these walls. Isn't that a creative idea? Mesopotamia has left a lot of their legacies behind for us. One of the big ones was their strong belief in gods and goddesses. Let's find out more!
Mesopotamia made sure to treat their gods and goddesses with respect. They believe that each god had a job to watch over a certain city. They spent a great deal of time trying to please the gods. They thought that everything that happens, good or bad, was a result of the gods and goddess. They also believed that each person had a god of their own, that's why they tried to worship them as much as they could. Some gods were more powerful than others, like the god of the sun, crops, sky, and air.
Cuneiform was a highly developed written language created by the Sumerians. This name comes from a Latin word meaning "wedge." This is because they used a wedge-shaped stylus to etch their writing on clay tablets. This form of writing was developed around 2400 B.C.E. At first, they may have used as many as 2,000 symbols to stand for ideas and sounds. Over the years, the syllables were reduced to 700. Cuneiform was based on an earlier form of writing called pictographs. They are symbols that stand for real objects, For example, a picture of a bird would stand for a bird. Scribes drew the symbols with a sharp reed on wet clay. Once the clay dried, the marks were permanent.
One of the most important inventions was the wheel, invented by the Sumerians. It dates back to 3500 B.C.E., when the wheel was invented. Sumerian potters used wheels as surfaces for sharpening clay pots. Sumerians also discovered that if a wheel was flipped onto its edge, it could be rolled forward. They took this technique as an advantage and used the discovery to create wheeled carts for farmers and chariots in the army. They did this by clamping pieces of wood together. Wheeled carts made the process much easier to move long distances. Oxen could pull three times more wight on wheeled carts than they could regularly.
Another advance in the history of Mesopotamia was the arch. The arch was invented by the Sumerians. They were U or V shaped structures built over doorways. To build arches, the Sumerians stacked mud bricks (made of clay) and straw so that they rose from the walls until they met in the center. Arches added beauty and strength to the buildings. They were typically for the first class. (because they could afford them) They were also put on temple entrances. This is one of Mesopotamia's greatest achievement!
Finally, also what was invented was: games and toys including the game of checkers, cylinder seals (the first superhero) and many tools and implements used for farming. Plus, the Sumerians created a math system that we still use today! They based their math system on the number 60 and said that there are 60 minutes in a hour, and that a circle had 360 degrees. The Babylonian empire invented a written set of laws. Isn't that like what we use today?
Legacies
Ancient Mesopotamia made sure to always keep improving itself. For example, for protection, they started to build walls around their cities. Towns were able to grow form these walls. Isn't that a creative idea? Mesopotamia has left a lot of their legacies behind for us. One of the big ones was their strong belief in gods and goddesses. Let's find out more!
Mesopotamia made sure to treat their gods and goddesses with respect. They believe that each god had a job to watch over a certain city. They spent a great deal of time trying to please the gods. They thought that everything that happens, good or bad, was a result of the gods and goddess. They also believed that each person had a god of their own, that's why they tried to worship them as much as they could. Some gods were more powerful than others, like the god of the sun, crops, sky, and air.