Sumeria

High school (ages 12+)
History & Culture

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/sumeria

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the location?Southern Mesopotamia, encompassing modern-day southern Iraq
2. What is the period?Flourished from the 4th millennium BCE until the early 2nd millennium BCE
3. What inventions did the Sumerians create?The Sumerians invented writing, wheels, schools, irrigation systems, ziggurats, and early legal codes. These inventions helped them build cities, keep records, and organize society.
4. Why were the Tigris and Euphrates rivers important to Sumeria?The rivers gave water for farming and helped create irrigation. This allowed farmers to grow enough food for many people and start new jobs beyond farming.

Sexagesimal System: A number system with a base of 60, used by the Sumerians and influencing modern time and angle measurements.
Epic of Gilgamesh: One of the earliest known works of literature, originating from Sumerian mythology.
Scribal Schools (Edubba): Institutions where students learned cuneiform writing, literature, and administrative skills.