The Sumerian King List also contains names like Gilgamesh and Dumuz | Image: The Weld-Blundell Prism, inscribed with the Sumerian King List The Sumerian city of Uruk is considered the oldest city in history In some myths, he is believed to have made his way to heaven riding on the back of an eagle. His reign is believed to have occurred around 2100 BCE. Some archaeologists have suggested that Utu-Hegal of Uruk was one of the earliest kings of Sumer. His name, which means “ he who stabilized all the lands”, sheds light on how extremely important the Sumerians viewed their rulers, viewing them as the representatives of the gods who steered the people away from darkness.

This king is believed to have ruled in the third millennium BCE. It has been stated that the first record of a Sumerian king was on Etana of Kish. The list, which was written in cuneiform script around 2100 BCE, also provides the achievements of those rulers. This ancient text, which was written in Sumerian language, provides a list of the kings of Sumer as well as the durations of their reigns. The Sumerian King List is often regarded as one of the oldest recordings in world history. More: 12 Most Famous Ancient Mesopotamian Gods Some of the oldest recordings in world history Ancient Sumerians believed that the humans were tasked to properly maintain the things that were bequeathed to them if they were to avoid chaos and disaster from engulfing the world. Following the victory, the gods elevated humans to an important role by placing them in charge of the things that were created. These proto-Euphrateans are believed to have benefited a lot from the Euphrates River as they gradually became a well-established agrarian society.Īncient Sumerians held the belief that prior to the emergence of their civilization the gods wrestled with and defeated chaos and other legions of darkness.

In any case, those first settlers, the Ubaid people as they are known today, are believed to have settled on the mound of al-Ubaid as ruins and excavations on the mound revealed evidence of a thriving community. However, it is unclear as to what their origins were. It is not improbable that human presence and activities started centuries or even a millennia before that.Īrcheologists have also stated that the first settlers were most likely not Sumerians. It’s been estimated that the first inhabitants of the Sumer area arrived about 6500 years ago. The first inhabitants of the region of Sumer arrived around 4500 BCE According to the Book of Genesis in the Bible, the land of Sumer was known as Shinar. On other occasions, they were known as Kengir, which means ‘Country of the noble lords’.Īrchaeological findings from the area have also revealed that the Sumer people were described as “the land of the black headed people” or the “Black Headed Ones”. In some cases, the inhabitants of the region preferred to describe themselves as “the black headed people”. Located in the southernmost region of ancient Mesopotamian (present-day Kuwait and Iraq), the name “Sumer” was an Akkadian word which means “land of the civilized kings”.

Below is a presentation of 10 interesting facts about ancient Sumer, one of the most eminent ancient civilizations to emerge from the Mesopotamian region. It’s been confirmed that the Sumerians were the first-known people to establish cities and have thriving system of governance.

2600 BC.Īncient Sumer was an ancient Mesopotamian civilization famed for being the birthplace of human civilization. Ancient Sumer – Enthroned Sumerian king of Ur, possibly Ur-Pabilsag, with attendants.

Sumer civilization