Sumerians

[MOBIUS]

The originators of civilization.

Why do people always think the Sumerians were the originators of civilisation...?

[Tupac Shakur]

It was clearly the Welsh.

[MOBIUS]

No, definitely not the Welsh! It could easily be argued that we still haven't found it yet!

[VetLegion]

I used to be annoyed that we don't know more about Sumerians. However, if
you think about it, if we did know everything about them, we'd probably find
out that they have inherited some earlier civilization, about which we don't
know much. Any way you look at it, we end up not knowing much about the
origins.

And I do think it's important, because humans have been around for millions
of years.

[VetLegion]

I used to be annoyed that we don't know more about Sumerians. However, if
you think about it, if we did know everything about them, we'd probably find
out that they have inherited some earlier civilization, about which we don't
know much. Any way you look at it, we end up not knowing much about the
origins.

And I do think it's important, because humans have been around for millions
of years.

[BlackCat]

And I do think it's important, because humans have been around for millions
of years.

I'm curious - what kind of mushrooms are you eating/smoking ? They sound quite entertaining

[BlackCat]

And I do think it's important, because humans have been around for millions
of years.

I'm curious - what kind of mushrooms are you eating/smoking ? They sound quite entertaining

[Al B. Sure!]

There is a definite dearth of recent books on ancient Mesopotamia. The best I've seen were Ancient Mesopotamia: Portrait of a Dead Civilization by A. Leo Oppenheim and The Sumerians: Their History, Culture, and Character by Samuel Noah Kramer, but they were both published in the late 1970's.

Considering the Saddam Hussein dictatorship and the subsequent turmoil in Iraq, however, it's likely there's been few new discoveries since then, though.

[VetLegion]

I'm curious - what kind of mushrooms are you eating/smoking ? They sound quite entertaining

Humans, in their physical and psychological form have been around for
hundreds of thousands of years (look up homo sapiens, etc). Yet civilization
is very young, only a couple of thousands of years old. I find that quite
fascinating.

[VetLegion]

There is a definite dearth of recent books on ancient Mesopotamia.

That's true. I have one book on the Sumerians, I forgot the name but a couple
of years ago when I purchased it, it was the best book about them (judging by
reviews). Nowadays, we don't know much more, so no new books.

[Hueij]

Forget Sumerians, Egypt is where it all started.

[BlackCat]

Humans, in their physical and psychological form have been around for
hundreds of thousands of years (look up homo sapiens, etc). Yet civilization
is very young, only a couple of thousands of years old. I find that quite
fascinating.

Nice retreat - millions to thousands Are the effects of the mushrooms diminishing?

[VetLegion]

In the case of Danes, it's mere hundreds.

[MattBowron]

I heard of Western Agriculture beginning at a place in Turkey known as Gobleki Tepe (pronounced GO-BLECKY TEPI) first major megalith structure BEFORE ziggurats and pyramids, going back over 13,000 years. Some say agriculture began to allow for the construction of major sacred worship sites.

[Al B. Sure!]

I heard of Western Agriculture beginning at a place in Turkey known as Gobleki Tepe (pronounced GO-BLECKY TEPI) first major megalith structure BEFORE ziggurats and pyramids, going back over 13,000 years. Some say agriculture began to allow for the construction of major sacred worship sites.

Gobleki Tepe was not a settlement, though. While DNA analysis indicates that domesticated Einkorn wheat is genetically closest to wild wheat that grows 20 miles from Gobleki Tepe, there is no other evidence of true agriculture (as opposed to just harvesting wild grains) at this site. Furthermore, it was not a settlement but just a gathering point for hunter-gatherers; likely a place of worship or a place of burial. These were still hunter-gatherers who built the site.