At the dawn of mankind, the southern part of Mesopotamia, which in the classical era was called Babylonia, was inhabited by the very first civilization on Earth. Now this is the territory of modern Iraq, stretching from Baghdad to the Persian Gulf, with a total area of about 26 thousand square meters. km.
The place is distinguished by a very dry and hot climate with scorched and weathered, low-fertile soils. A river plain devoid of stones and minerals, swamps covered with reeds, a complete absence of wood - this is exactly what this land was more than three thousand years ago. But the people who inhabited this territory and known to the whole world as the Sumerians were endowed with a decisive and enterprising disposition, an outstanding mind. He turned the lifeless plain into a blooming garden and created what would later be called "the first civilization on Earth."
Origin of the Sumerians
There is no reliable information about the origin of the Sumerians. Until now, it is difficult for historians and archaeologists to say whether they were the indigenous inhabitants of Mesopotamia or came to these lands from outside. The second option is considered the most probable. Presumably the representatives came from the Zagros Mountains, or even Hindustan. The Sumerians themselves did not write anything about their origin. In 1964, for the first time, a proposal was made to consider this issue from various aspects: linguistic, racial, ethnic. After that, the search for truth finally delved into linguistics, into the elucidation of the genetic connections of the Sumerian language, which is currently considered isolated.
The Sumerians, who founded the first civilization on Earth, never called themselves that. In fact, this word denotes the territory, the south of Mesopotamia, while the Sumerians called themselves “black-headed”.
Sumerian language
Linguists define Sumerian as an agglutinative language. This means that the formation of forms and derivatives goes by adding unambiguous affixes. The language of the Sumerians consisted mainly of monosyllabic words, so it is difficult to even imagine how many there were - the same sounding, but different in meaning. In ancient sources, according to scientists, there are about three thousand of them. At the same time, more than 100 words are used only 1-2 times, and the most frequently used are only 23.
As already mentioned, one of the main features of the language is the abundance of homonyms. Most likely, there was a rich system of tones and laryngeal sounds, which is difficult to read in the graphics of clay tablets. In addition, the first civilization on Earth had two dialects. The literary language (eme-gir) was used most widely, and the priests spoke a secret dialect (eme-sal), inherited from their ancestors and, most likely, not tone.
The Sumerian language was the intermediary and was used throughout southern Mesopotamia. Therefore, its bearer was not necessarily an ethnic representative of this ancient people.
Writing
The question of the creation of writing by the Sumerians remains controversial. However, the fact is that they improved it and transformed it into cuneiform. They greatly appreciated the art of writing and attribute its appearance to the very beginning of the creation of their civilization. It is likely that at the dawn of the history of writing, not clay was used, but another, more easily destroyed material. Therefore, a lot of information is lost.
The very first civilization on earth before our era, to be fair, created its own writing system. The process was long and difficult. Is the gazelle depicted by an ancient artist an art or a message? If he did it on a stone, in those places where there are many animals, then this will be a full message for his comrades. It says: “There are a lot of gazelles here,” which means that there will be a good hunt. The message could well include several drawings. For example, it is worth adding a lion, and a warning already sounds: "There are a lot of gazelles here, but there is a danger." This historical stage is considered the first step on the way to the creation of writing. Gradually, the drawings were transformed, simplified and began to be schematic. In the picture you can see how this transformation took place. People have noticed that it is easier to make impressions with a reed stick on clay than to draw. All curves are gone.
The ancient Sumerians, the first civilization on earth that found its own, consisted of several hundred characters, with 300 being the most used. Most of them had somewhat similar meanings. Cuneiform was used in Mesopotamia for almost 3,000 years.
Religion of the people
The work of the pantheon of the Sumerian gods can be compared with the assembly, headed by the supreme "king". Such a meeting was further divided into groups. The main one is known as the "Great Gods" and consisted of 50 deities. It was she, according to the ideas of the Sumerians, who decided the fate of people.
According to mythology, it was created from clay mixed with the blood of the gods. The universe consisted of two worlds (upper and lower), separated by the earth. It is interesting that already in those days the Sumerians had a myth about the Flood. In addition, a poem has come down to us that tells about the creation of the world, some episodes of which very closely intersect with the main Christian shrine - the Bible. For example, the sequence of events, in particular, the creation on the sixth day of man. There is heated debate about such a connection between pagan religion and Christianity.
culture
The Sumerian culture is one of the most interesting and vibrant among the other peoples that inhabited Mesopotamia. By the third millennium, it had reached its peak. People lived during the period were actively engaged in cattle breeding and agriculture, fishing. Gradually, exclusively agriculture was replaced by handicrafts: pottery, foundry, weaving and stone-cutting production developed.
The characteristic features of architecture are: the erection of buildings on artificial embankments, the distribution of premises around the courtyard, the separation of walls by vertical niches and the introduction of color. The two most striking monuments of monumental construction of the 4th millennium BC. e. temples in Uruk.
Archaeologists have found quite a lot of art objects: sculptures, remains of images on stone walls, vessels, metal products. All of them are made with great skill. What is a magnificent helmet made of pure gold worth (pictured)! One of the most interesting inventions of the Sumerians is printing. They depicted people, animals, scenes from everyday life.
Early Dynastic Period: Stage 1
This is the time when the original cuneiform had already been created - 2750-2600 BC. e. This period is characterized by the existence of a large number of city-states, the center of which was a large temple economy. Outside of them, large-family communities existed. The main productive labor lay with the so-called temple clients, who were dispossessed. The spiritual and political elite of society already existed - the military leader and priest and, accordingly, their inner circle.
The ancient people had an extraordinary mind and a certain inventive talent. In those distant times, people had already come up with the idea of irrigation, having studied the possibility of collecting and directing the muddy waters of the Euphrates and Tigris in the right direction. Enriching the soil in the fields and gardens with organic matter, they increased its productivity. But large-scale works, as you know, require a large workforce. The first civilization on earth was familiar with slavery, moreover, it was legalized.
It is authentically known about the existence of 14 Sumerian cities in this period. Moreover, the most developed, prosperous and cult was Nippur, where the temple of the main god Enlil was located.
Early Dynastic Period: Stage 2
This period (2600-2500 BC) is characterized by military conflicts. The century began with the defeat of the ruler of the city of Kish, which allegedly caused the invasion of the Elamites - the inhabitants of an ancient state on the territory of modern Iran. In the south, a number of nome cities united in a military alliance. There was a trend towards centralization of power.
Early Dynastic Period: Stage 3
At the third stage of the early dynastic period, 500 years after the moment when the first civilization appeared on Earth (according to the assumptions of archaeologists), city-states grow and develop, and stratification is observed in society, an increase in social contradictions. On this basis, the struggle of the rulers of the nomes for power intensifies. One military conflict was replaced by another in pursuit of the hegemony of one city over all. In one of the ancient Sumerian epics, dating back to 2600 BC. e., refers to the unification of Sumer under the rule of Gilgamesh - the king of Uruk. After another two hundred years, most of the state was conquered by the king of Akkad.
The growing Babylonian Empire swallowed up Sumer by the middle of the second millennium BC. e., and the Sumerian language lost its status as a spoken language even earlier. However, for several millennia it remained as a literary one. This is the approximate time when the Sumerian civilization ceased to exist as a political entity.
Very often you can find information that the mythical Atlantis is the first civilization on earth. The Atlanteans who inhabited it are the ancestors modern people. However, most of the scientific world calls this fact nothing more than fiction, a beautiful story. Indeed, every year information about the mysterious mainland acquires new details, but at the same time it does not have any historical support with facts or archaeological excavations.
In this regard, the opinion is increasingly heard that the first civilization on earth arose in the fourth millennium BC, and these were the Sumerians.
Modernity has long stepped forward and is moving on. And many secrets of the origin of life on earth remain unsolved. Many scientists, historians, archaeologists, and just lovers of the history of the whole world are constantly arguing about which civilization can be attributed to the first? And which of them is considered the most ancient civilization?
Disputes, disputes, and so far this has not been proven for certain by anyone. It's the same as the spores that came first - the egg or the chicken. Scientists even compiled lists of civilizations to determine which of them could be the first. It is important for all scientists and, of course, historians to know what was achieved by each of them, how did they form? What culture, writing was in this or that civilization. How did the ancient people provide for themselves, what god did they worship.
Time has passed, but this mystery, which civilization is the most ancient, has not yet been solved.
Some scholars believe that the first civilization was in Australia. It was the natives who were independent, they lived and developed freely. They have their own culture, their own way of life. The most interesting thing is that in these tribes everyone was equal. The tribes were small - up to 150 people. What kind of relationship they had there has not been studied exactly. Their culture has received little research. Everyone previously thought that she was unworthy of attention and very primitive. Now in this territory, after the invasion of the British, it is unlikely to study something and return it back. Time is gone.
Atlantis
A lot of controversy and assumptions are about the civilization of Atlantis, which was close to the Strait of Gibraltar. This civilization flourished a long time ago, about nine thousand years ago, but it is remembered to this day. This culture was on the island, the land there was not fertile, but the people - the Atlanteans - achieved a lot. There were magnificent architectural buildings, beautiful sculptures and temples. A wonderful climate accompanied the inhabitants. They have evolved more and more. There was no one left in the neighboring territories who could argue with them. But Athens stood in their way. As a result of the earthquake, Atlantis completely disappeared from the face of the earth. Plato was the first to mention it. Already at sunset, he told everyone about that amazing land which he visited in his youth. Centuries have passed, but what Plato told only lives in myths, fairy tales and traditions.
Until now, historians have various disputes, versions and disagreements about this, such a distant and mysterious civilization. Although they still compose songs and poems about her. But Atlantis was not forgotten, it was revived in the new civilization of the Egyptians with their pyramids. Irrigation systems appeared in America, which were also in this amazing civilization. According to legend, the gods with Zeus destroyed this civilization of greedy, greedy people who appeared there over a long period of time. They were constantly at war and demanded further enrichment. Water simply flooded the entire island, leaving no more land. Whether this is true or not is not for us to decide.
Lemuria
Another civilization that scientists and historians call, which was destroyed due to an earthquake, is Lemuria. She was on earth about 80 thousand years ago. According to the remaining heritage, scientists and historians have determined that the people of this civilization even mastered the construction of buildings made of stone. This was their biggest achievement.
A lot of interesting information about the most ancient Slavs has been collected. Although it is difficult to determine exactly when this civilization originated, due to different interpretations and judgments.
But one thing is undeniable that after climate change, a civilization called Hyperborea had to move to other fertile lands. And it was then that it gave rise to new civilizations. If the secret of the origin of life was not hidden by the priests who carefully kept it, in our time there would be a lot of knowledge about these civilizations. But even so it is known that the ancient Slavs had their own gods: Yarilo, Perun, Veles.
The priests, who were called the guardians of the clan, had many secrets, but they did not reveal them to anyone else. At that time, paganism existed there, the people of that time were not completely united in their faith. But already during the period from the 7th to the beginning of the 9th century, pottery, blacksmithing and weaponry, weaving and jewelry crafts were well developed there. Already at that time, writing arose, but some letters were similar to Greek, and even to Germanic runes.
Historians believe that the first civilization was truly the Sumerian civilization, which existed as early as the 4th century BC, and consisted of many cities. These cities were called by the following names: Eridu, Ur, Umma, Akkad, Sippar, Nippur, Lugash. But these are only the major cities. All of them were in Mesopotamia. Historians have found that these peoples from the Sumerian civilization had knowledge of the solar system, intelligent life and knew the score.
But these cities were constantly at war with each other, which naturally led to a decline in the development and culture of the Sumerians. And according to the narration of historians, already in 2000 BC. this ancient civilization has completely weakened.
To this day, the narratives of ancient peoples have survived, allowing us to believe that the very first civilization arose somewhere in the Far North. Where there is cold ice now. The Chinese, the Egyptians, the Indians and the Eskimos came to the same opinion. They claim that human life originated there earlier, and consider the North Pole to be the cradle of man.
After all, it was not for nothing that various remains of mammoths were found there, telling that these animals were considered herbivores. So, once upon a time, there was a normal climate. How many expeditions, already in our time, went in search of truth and returned with some finds. One way or another, our knowledge will be improved, not everything has been studied yet. Archaeologists do not give up, they find more and more new places for excavations, which means that the topics for disputes between historians and scientists will constantly be supplemented with new knowledge. And who knows, maybe in the near future it will become clear which civilization is the most ancient, the very first that gave life to all other civilizations.
9 800
The whole history of the world is represented by great achievements and great dates, but it all started far from that. So, the closest ancestors of man - Australopithecus - survived more than one million years of evolution, mastering agriculture, hunting, gathering and simultaneously inventing new tools. And only when all the stages of development were passed, the turn of civilization frowned. This stage was characterized by local wars and civil strife, the development of religion, architecture and social classes. One civilization came to replace another.
In general, the term "civilization" comes from the Latin language and means "civil" or "state". The era in which ancient civilizations existed is more than one thousand years old, and many medieval scholars even use this term to separate civilized society from primitive. If we talk about the signs characteristic of civilization, then there are quite a lot of them due to the fact that every historian sees them from a subjective point of view.
Over the past few billion years, the world map has undergone significant changes. According to geologists, initially there was only one continent on the planet, which was called Pangea and was located in the middle of a huge ocean. Later, this continent broke up into several separate formations: Laurasia, which included modern North America, Central and North Asia, Europe, and Gondwana, which included Africa, South America, India, Antarctica, Australia. Between these continents lay the Mediterranean Sea, which at that time was called Tetris. For many centuries, these two continents were overgrown with forests, which were later destroyed due to drastic climatic changes. Later, under the influence of glaciers and underground pressure caused by changes magnetic field planets, huge slabs of crust began to crack and separate from each other until they reached the modern form.
Ancient people were sure that the very first earthly civilization appeared in the Far North, and this happened many years before it was covered eternal ice. Here was the so-called Kingdom of the gods. According to the Chinese, the emperor of this kingdom received power from the god Dragon, who was located at the Heavenly North Pole and was the personification of the King of the Cosmos. The ancient Egyptians worshiped some radiant beings who stood behind Osiris and oriented the Great Pyramid to the brightest star in the constellation Draco Thuban, which in those years was polar star. There is a legend that the Mahabharata and the Vedas contain astronomical data that can only be understood if one is at the North Pole.
In the memory of the Eskimos, the Shining Spirits of the North have been preserved. The Sioux Indians have stories about the northern island, the cradle of their ancestors, which was swallowed up by the waters. And even in modern world Santa Claus, according to legend, lives at the North Pole.
In addition, researchers of anomalous phenomena, in particular, UFOs, note that these objects, as a rule, appear in the north. Perhaps they pass through some passages in the planetary radiation belts, or head to the underground civilization of Agarta, which exists many kilometers deep.
Scientists are sure that in ancient times the lands of the North Pole, which were then the tropics, extremely attracted the inhabitants of space, since it was the real cradle of mankind, idyllic Eden.
The second great ancient civilization is the fabulous Hyperborea. It was a subpolar continent over which the sun did not set. It was in Hyperborea that Apollo periodically visited in his winged chariot. According to ancient evidence, the Hyperboreans were very tall, had light skin and hair, and blue eyes. Thus, it can be assumed that they were a kind of ideal Nordic type. According to legend, the Hyperboreans were space aliens who colonized this part of the planet. The polar region, which, as mentioned above, was tropical. And the aliens chose her only because she was very reminiscent of their own planet. It was the Hyperboreans who later became the progenitors of the human race.
In the legends of many peoples, information has been preserved about that terrible cataclysm that led to the devastation of the beautiful northern lands. Legends say that the sun changed its course, and the Moon or a comet that fell to Earth shifted the axis of the planet. Thus, one of the ages of the Earth was completed. And the legends of the Hindus and Maya contain information that between the magicians of Lemuria and the gods of Hyperborea there was nuclear war, which shook the entire planet, causing climate change and the onset of the ice age.
The sons of the Hyperboreans, the Scythians, erected mysterious menhirs to their ancestors. And the Divine Kings taught people the arts and sciences, because people could not live on the earth, which turned into a piece of ice.
A new civilization has emerged on the continent known as Lemuria. It was up to the Himalayas to the north and to Antarctica and Australia to the south. The first population of Lemuria consisted of hermaphrodites of gigantic stature. Over several million years of development, they turned into women and men and decreased in height from 365 to 215 centimeters. The Lemurians were very similar in appearance to the red-skinned Indians, even though their skin was a bluish tint. Their forehead protruded forward, and in the middle of it there was a large bump resembling a walnut (the so-called third eye, which testified to a developed mental strength).
According to ancient legends, teachers who came from Venus passed on cosmic secrets to the initiated inhabitants of Lemuria, which subsequently formed the secret knowledge of the East. After many centuries, men became like gods, acquired the color of the rising sun, and women became graceful and bright, developed a feminine intuition, which many times exceeded scientific logic. Marriage was seen as a sacred bond, sex as a spiritual communion, and there were no divorces at all.
Death was considered a transition to a higher world, so the Lemurians could die whenever they wanted. Legends say that they did this often, because the world in which they lived was imperfect, devastated by natural disasters. Ultimately, after another volcanic eruption, their continent split in half and disappeared into the ocean depths. It is likely that part of the Lemurians returned to other planets with the acquired knowledge, which became inaccessible to earthlings.
The Lemurians built huge cities, from underground lava and marble they made divine statues in their own image and likeness and worshiped them. The houses of the inhabitants of Lemuria were tall, had a rectangular shape and a wide projecting roof, which gave a lot of shade. Temples and palaces were huge, they were built of durable white stone. By the way, they have not completely collapsed over time and to this day they can still be seen in Asia and America.
This people had a lot of silver and gold, but precious metals were not used for minting coins, but exclusively for decorative purposes. Diamonds were very widely distributed, and therefore they were valued no higher than ordinary glass. Most of all, brightly colored rare feathers were valued among the Lemurians.
Lemurian scientists were engaged in the study of radionics, based on cosmic and solar energy, and brought heat and light into homes.
But soon civilization began to destroy itself. Strength and great knowledge gave rise to excessive pride. Black and white magicians fought each other until they destroyed civilization.
In some legends of the peoples of Asia, data have been preserved that spaceships flew from Venus and Mars to save the elect. Meanwhile, the continent was split and went inland sea waters. After him, only the peaks of the mountains remained, which now represent a series of Pacific islands (Malekula, Caroline Islands, Easter Island).
The remnants of civilization took refuge under the leadership of Manu in the western tip of Lemuria. From there, they could presumably reach Atlantis, which had just emerged from the depths of the ocean. Some Lemurians moved to America, China and India, where they revived the culture of their dead country.
Note that the considered civilizations are the most majestic and significant. They have had a great influence on the culture of mankind for many thousands of years. Later, civilizations better known to earthlings appeared. These are the Olmecs, who invented the calendar and hieroglyphs, created networks of trade and communications. This is the Mayan civilization, which by modern standards was the most primitive civilization of the Stone Age, but which, nevertheless, built dozens of wonderful cities, the basis of which are pyramids, perfect in sophistication and beauty. In addition, the Maya invented hieroglyphic writing and the solar calendar, were able to predict lunar and solar eclipses. These are the Aztecs, who in just two centuries have gone through a difficult path from a nomadic tribe to formidable rulers of a large territory. These are the civilizations of South America (Chavin, Paracas, Nazca, Mochica, Chimu, Incas, Machu Picchu). This is the well-known Atlantis, Celts, Scythians, Phoenicians, Hittites. Each of these civilizations had a great influence on the development of mankind. But that, as they say, is a completely different story ...
Disputes of historians about which civilizations arose first, where they appeared, what name they had, probably will never stop. These questions have occupied the minds of scientists for many years. There are also discussions about which of the first civilizations to consider the most ancient on Earth.
Rating of the first civilizations
To date, historians have data that make it possible to compile a list of those civilizations that appeared among the first. Here are the first five.
Australian aborigines
Many scientists are supporters of the fact that on the Australian mainland the civilization of the aborigines appeared among the first. Their way of life left an imprint on their way of life, cultural traditions and customs. For a long time, their culture was considered primitive, but it turned out to be rich enough, only too mysterious for us.
Atlantis
This civilization was mentioned by Plato. She existed near the Strait of Gibraltar and sank due to a powerful earthquake. Many scientists doubt its existence.
Lemuria
There is also such a point of view that on a huge and mysterious continent that existed more than 80 thousand years ago, an early civilization called Lemuria lived. She died due to a powerful earthquake. Some scholars believe that one of the achievements of this civilization was the construction of buildings made of stone.
Ancient Slavs
There is no exact data on the existence of this civilization, which was called Hyperborea. After changing the axis of rotation of our planet, the climate began to change, which led to the resettlement of the Slavs to other lands. Settlement and redistribution provided the basis for the formation of new civilizations. Slavic civilization reached its heyday in the 7th-9th centuries.
Sumerians
Most scientists single out the Sumerian among the early civilizations, believing that it is the most ancient.
Civilization from nowhere
The Sumerians are the oldest civilization in the world, according to most scientists. The time of its appearance is approximately the end of the fourth millennium BC.
The most mysterious thing is that almost no one can explain where it came from. It is believed that the Sumerians belong to an ancient Semitic tribe that once lived on our planet.
But these are just assumptions, no evidence of this exists so far. In the course of research, no links were found between the Sumerians and the Semitic tribes. These were two completely different civilizations, although both were ancient.
Until now, it has not become known to which race the Sumerians belonged. All events that are to some extent connected with this civilization are shrouded in mystery. They remain a mystery to scientists.
Secrets of the Sumerian Civilization
The most ancient civilization left behind many mysteries and unsolved mysteries. It is they who make archaeologists all over the world still engage in excavations and research in order to at least slightly open the veil of this mystery.
Most scholars associate with the Sumerians:
- writing;
- the first skills in metal processing;
- the invention of the wheel;
- appearance of the potter's wheel.
After themselves, the Sumerians left many manuscripts, deciphering which, scientists never cease to be amazed. It turns out that this civilization even knew what our science reached only relatively recently.
- The Sumerians used the ternary number system. It is used in modern computers.
- The Sumerians were familiar with the principle of the golden ratio.
- They had deep knowledge in the field of chemistry, astronomy, physics and other sciences.
- The Sumerians were among the first to learn how to make soap.
- First time they made beer.
- According to archaeological finds, it was the Sumerians who first learned how to make and burn bricks.
- Sumerian builders were able to build beautiful temples and palaces, which surpassed many modern buildings in their beauty.
- Their state structure was at a high level. They had governing bodies, a court, laws that protected citizens.
It must be taken into account that the Sumerians had all this when Ancient Greece and Rome did not exist. In terms of development, the Sumerian civilization was very close to modern society.
It was a civilization that had its own ideas about beauty. During excavations, tablets were found, which depict proverbs, poems and entire works about adventures.
Archaeologists in the habitat of the Sumerians found mines in which gold was mined. Why are they a large number of precious metal was needed in the Stone Age? A conjectural answer can be obtained if you get acquainted with Sumerian mythology.
Sumerian myths
By studying the records of this ancient civilization, scientists learned that the Sumerians knew that 12 planets revolved around the sun. These are the ones that are well known at the present time and another one between Jupiter and Mars called Nabiru.
This planet had such an elongated orbit that it appeared in the solar system once every 3600 years. According to modern calculations of astronomers, it should pass near our planet between 2100 and 2158 years.
According to Sumerian records, more than 4 billion years ago there was a catastrophe so grandiose that the whole solar system, many planets have changed the tilt of their axis.
According to the Sumerians, the Anunaki descended from the mysterious planet Nabiru to our land. Incidentally, even in scripture there is a mention of "descended from heaven." They were incredibly tall - from 4 to 5 meters, with a wide face and black hair. In the images, they always have large protruding ears; in their understanding, this is a symbol of wisdom.
According to the mythology of the Sumerians, the Anunnaki created earthlings with the aim that they were engaged in gold mining. The first attempts to extract the precious metal from the waters of the Persian Gulf were unsuccessful. Then the search began to lead in the mines.
According to the explanations, a huge amount of gold was required to protect the atmosphere of Nabiru with gold dust. It is worth recalling that such technologies are currently used in space projects. Gold was transported to the planet once every 3600 years, when it came as close to the Earth as possible.
In the annals of the Sumerians, one can find a lot of interesting and mysterious information, which is quite difficult to put into the head of a modern person. All this is perceived as myths and inventions of an ancient civilization. I just can’t believe that this is possible at the dawn of the birth of mankind.
It is problematic to answer the question which of the civilizations is the oldest. There are many versions and theories, but one thing is for sure: the Sumerian is the most mysterious and mysterious.
Despite the fact that studies have provided a lot of information about this civilization, it still remains unknown where it came from, and even with such a wealth of knowledge. One can only be sure that for many years to come, scientists around the world will be provided with work to find answers to this question. And in the future we have to digest a lot of new information. Let's hope that it will be even more interesting and informative.