Now, I swear by the sun god Utu on this very day -- and my younger brothers shall be witness of it in foreign lands where the sons of Sumer are not known, where people do not have the use of paved roads, where they have no access to the written word -- that I, the firstborn son, am a fashioner of words, a composer of songs, a composer of words, and that they will recite my songs as heavenly writings, and that they will bow down before my words......
King Shulgi (c. 2100 BC) on the future of Sumerian literature.
King Shulgi (c. 2100 BC) on the future of Sumerian literature.
Government of Sumeria
Sumerian government started out with the creation of city-states. When argiculture developed people grouped together in cities. These cities all had one thing in common. They all had a special building called a Ziggurat at the center. Ziggurats were places of worship and gatherings and were very important for the Sumerians.
Priests also controlled these city-states. They had comntrol pver the canals for irigation and on trade plus were the servants of the gods. That gave them power over the others and allowed them to rule.
As Sumr became more powerful, and the cities gained more and more wealth they shifted to a different form of government where instead of each city being ruled by a different priest, you had one guy in control of multiple cities. Here you start to see a shift from the independant cities to a unified nation.
Priests also controlled these city-states. They had comntrol pver the canals for irigation and on trade plus were the servants of the gods. That gave them power over the others and allowed them to rule.
As Sumr became more powerful, and the cities gained more and more wealth they shifted to a different form of government where instead of each city being ruled by a different priest, you had one guy in control of multiple cities. Here you start to see a shift from the independant cities to a unified nation.