Page 564 - Atlas of Creation Volume 2

From 3,000 BCE onward, the Sumerians brought large areas under their control by constantly founding large city-states.

The Sumerians: An Advanced Civilization

Mesopotamia means "between rivers" in Greek. This region is one of the most fertile in the world, which has
made it the cradle of great civilizations.

One group of people who emerged from south of these lands—from the region now known as Kuwait and
northern Saudi Arabia—spoke a different language from other communities, lived in cities, were ruled by a
monarchy based on a legal structure, and used writing. These were the Sumerians, who developed rapidly by
founding great city-states from 3,000 BCE on, and brought great numbers of people under their sway. 63

At a later date, the Sumerians were defeated by the Akkadians and passed under their yoke. However, by
adopting the Sumerians' culture, religion, art, law, state structure and literature, the Akkadians enabled civi-
lization to preserve in Mesopotamia.
In their time, the Sumerians made significant developments in all fields,

from technology to art and from law to literature. They had well-devel-
oped trade and a powerful economy. Bronze work, wheeled vehicles,
sailing boats, statues and monumental structures are some of the evi-
dence of their rapid progress that has survived to the present day. In

addition, the Sumerians are known to have possessed many hand-
crafts that have not survived. The weaving and dyeing of wool—
an important export commodity for Mesopotamian cities—can be
cited as one of their developed lesser arts. 64

The Sumerians also had a developed social structure.
Their state was a monarchical one, with the priest-king rul-
ing with the help of a series of officials. After the harvest,
these would share the produce among the people, and visit

and inspect the fields. Bureaucracy formed the basis of the
Sumerian administrative system. The priest in every region
would assume responsibility for the people living there and

The deep-rooted civilizations founded by ancient societies show that
Darwin's thesis of "progress from the primitive to the civilized" does not
reflect the facts. Sumerian civilization is one example of this.

562 Atlas of Creation Vol. 2