The Rise and Fall of the Sumerians, Pioneers of Civilization
Long before the pyramids of Egypt or the grandeur of Rome, the Sumerians laid the foundation for what we now recognize as civilization. Emerging around 4500 BCE in southern Mesopotamia, in present-day Iraq, the Sumerians developed the world’s first known writing system—cuneiform—transforming communication and record-keeping. Their city-states, such as Uruk and Ur, were marvels of…