The Sumerians are a mysterious people.
Sumer is considered to be the oldest urban civilization and the earliest Mesopotamian civilization.
The city flourished between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, near the canals where it was easy to build rich lands.
The history of Sumer continued from the establishment of the Sumerian civilization until the annexation by the Achaemenid Empire and the disappearance of the Sumerians.
The history of Sumer is more than 2,000 years long, and dynasties have been born and fallen in that time.
There are many mysteries about the Sumerians.
What are some of these mysteries?
Origin of the Sumerians
The Sumerians called themselves
People of the Black Head.
and called their land
The land of the monarchs.
Where did the Sumerians come from?
It seems that the appearance of the Sumerians was different from that of other peoples.
After the flood myth described in the Book of Genesis in the Old Testament, it is said that the people who settled in the Sumerian region were from the east.
Therefore, Sumerians may be of Mongoloid descent.
Also, where the Sumerians came from is still a mystery.
It would be more appropriate to say that they suddenly appeared from the east, rather than being a naturally formed people.
The One and Only Sumerian Language
One of the characteristics of the Sumerian language is that it is different from the various languages that existed in this period.
In other words, Sumerian was an isolated language and had nothing in common with other languages.
In fact, the word "Sumerian" was not used by the Sumerians themselves, but was a name used by another people, the Akkadians.
Religion of the Sumerians
The Sumerians lived in various city-states, each clustered around a temple called a "ziggurat".
Also, since the Sumerian religion was polytheistic, people believed that
Each god owned a city.
You can read more about Sumerian religion and mythology in this article.
What is Sumerian mythology? A synopsis of the supreme god and the flood!
If you want to know more, please refer to this article.
According to the legend, the dingir (gods) that the Sumerians believed in wanted someone who would follow them.
So they created man out of clay.
The anger and frustration of the dingir was often expressed by "earthquakes".
In other words, the gods are not for us, but we are at the mercy of the gods.
God has an image of redeeming humans, but the Sumerian gods are more like dictators.
Testimony of the Sumerians
Perhaps because of this philosophy, the outlook on life of the Sumerians is notable for its hopelessness.
Some say that
I am in melancholy. Pain overwhelms me. Oh, my life is over.... I have a bad disease....
Another Sumerian
Why am I so rude? I have all the food, but mine is starvation. I wonder if there was a loss of share....
These are just a few of the many pessimistic things left behind by the Sumerians in their lives.
I'm sure the Sumerians who left these things behind never thought that their writings would be read in this day and age.
The Sumerians' View of the Universe
There is an even more shocking thought of the Sumerians.
It is their view of the universe.
They believed that the universe consisted of a flat disk surrounded by a tin dome.
What? Wait a minute. Could this be a UFO?
It can't be helped even if some of us think so.
Gods (aliens) came from outer space (UFO) and created humans (Sumerians).
It is no wonder that we think so.
Also, the Sumerians' "afterlife" was a gateway to a terrible hell where they would spend eternity in misery.
In other words, humans were simple slaves to the gods for all eternity.
Diseases of the Sumerians
The Sumerians' way of thinking about disease is quite classical.
Disease = conquest by demons
They were thinking like this.
A demon has set a trap in your body.
This is how they explained it.
The medicine makes you feel uncomfortable that the demon is in your body.
I was trying to get the lamb or statue to enter.
They thought so.
There are many more histories of Mesopotamian civilization.
If you want to know more about the history of Mesopotamian civilization,
6 features of Mesopotamian civilization summary
The Mesopotamian civilization is considered the oldest in the world. I explain the flow of history and the characteristics of the civilization!
Please read this article as well.