The Sumerians: Their History, Culture, and Character. The origins of human beings according to ancient Sumerian texts. Leaving an Impression: Revealing the Intricate Story of Sumerian Cylinder Seals. For example, when other deities rose to prominence, they are said to have received the anûtu (which may be translated as the ‘An power’), thus showing that An’s exalted status was maintained even though he had been replaced by another god as supreme deity. Nevertheless, he retained his importance, and continued to be revered. Later on, An’s leadership role was either shared or taken over by other gods. An was believed to be a sky god, and was initially regarded to be the Lord of the Heavens, or the supreme deity of the Sumerian pantheon. The most important god in the Sumerian pantheon is An (known also as Anu to the Akkadians). The Sumerians believed that their gods were responsible for all matters pertaining to the natural and social orders.Īn artist’s illustration of Mesopotamia ( Jeff Brown Graphics ) An: First Sumerian Lord of the Heavens Political power originally belonged to the citizens, but as rivalry between the various city-states increased, each adopted the institution of kingship.Įach city-state was believed to be under the rule of a local god or goddess and their temples dominated the towns architecture. Each of these cities contained public buildings, markets, workshops, and advanced water systems, and were surrounded by villages and land for agriculture. Beginning around 3500 BC, the Sumerians began to build walled cities, including Ur, the capital of the civilization. Located in what the ancient Greeks called Mesopotamia, meaning "the land between the rivers," Sumer was a collection of city-states or cites that were also independent nations, some of which endured for 3,000 years. Hundreds of thousands of these tablets have survived, providing a window into Sumerian culture, economy, law, literature, politics, and religion. The Sumerians devised one of the earliest writing system known as cuneiform or wedge-shaped symbols. The tablets were then dried in the sun to preserve the text. However, probably the most famous legacy is their writing system. They also developed a numerical system, based on the number 60 that is still used to measure seconds and minutes. They are credited with the establishing codes of law, the plow, the sailboat, and a lunar calendar. The Sumerians were among the first known cultures to develop many benchmarks that are used to define a "civilization”. The Akkadians would follow the Sumerians, borrowing from their culture, producing a new language of their own, and creating the world’s first empire. 
By the 4 th millennium BC, it had established an advanced system writing, spectacular arts and architecture, astronomy and mathematics. Located in the southernmost part of Mesopotamia between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers (modern day Iraq), Sumer was often called the cradle of civilization. The Sumerians were the first known people to settle in Mesopotamia over 7,000 years ago. ( Fredsvenn) Sumer: A Cradle of Civilization Nevertheless, some gods and goddesses feature more significantly in the religion of Sumer, and thus may be considered to be the main deities of the Sumerian pantheon. It has been estimated that the deities in Sumerian pantheon numbered in the hundreds or even in the thousands.
Some of these deities also had their counterparts in the religion of other Mesopotamian peoples. These deities were anthropomorphic beings, and were meant to represent the natural forces of the world. The Sumerian religion was polytheistic in nature, and the Sumerians worshipped a great number of deities.
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