Sumer |
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Status | In exile (c. 2334 BCE – c. 2119 BCE) |
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Government | Monarchy |
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Historical era | Bronze Age |
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| c. 2900 BCE |
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| c. 2800 BCE |
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| c. 2750 BCE |
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| c. 2600 BCE |
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| c. 2334 BCE |
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| c. 2154 BCE |
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| c. 2004 BCE |
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| c. 1763 BCE |
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Sumer (/ˈsuːmər/) is the earliest known civilization in the historical region of southern Mesopotamia (south-central Iraq), emerging during the Chalcolithic and early Bronze Ages between the sixth and fifth millennium BC. It is also one of the first civilizations in the world, along with ancient Egypt, Elam, the Caral-Supe civilization, the Indus Valley civilization, the Minoan civilization, and ancient China. Living along the valleys of the Tigris and Euphrates, Sumerian farmers grew an abundance of grain and other crops, the surplus from which enabled them to form urban settlements. Proto-writing dates back before 3000 BC. The earliest texts come from the cities of Uruk and Jemdet Nasr, and date to between c. 3500 and c. 3000 BC.
Estimated population of Mesopotamia
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Century BCE
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Estimated urban population
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Estimated percentage of non-urban settlements (≤10 hectares)
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Estimated percentage of urban settlements (≥40 hectares)
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Estimated percentage of Mesopotamians living in urban settlements
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Estimated number of urban settlements in Mesopotamia
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Total area estimated to have been occupied by Mesopotamians
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30th
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140,000
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10%
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78.4%
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80%
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10
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≤0.01 Mm2 (3,900 sq mi)
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29th
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28th
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288,000
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≥0.01 Mm2 (3,900 sq mi)
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27th
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26th
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290,000
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≥0.03 Mm2 (12,000 sq mi)
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25th
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305,000
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12
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≥0.05 Mm2 (19,000 sq mi)
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24th
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250,000
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≥0.065 Mm2 (25,000 sq mi)
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23rd
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230,000
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0.6 Mm2 (230,000 sq mi)
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22nd
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210,000
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18.4%
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63.5%
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0.2 Mm2 (77,000 sq mi)
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21st
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300,000
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25%
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55.1%
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0.03 Mm2 (12,000 sq mi)
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20th
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265,000
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50%
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0.1 Mm2 (39,000 sq mi)
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19th
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160,000
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29.6%
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50.2%
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0.2 Mm2 (77,000 sq mi)
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18th
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175,000
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17th
|
70,000
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16th
|
80,000
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56.8%
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30.4%
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15th
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20,000
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0.3 Mm2 (120,000 sq mi)
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Population density standards
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Estimated settlement sizes (in hectares)
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Estimated settlement populations
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Settlement
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33rd
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32nd
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31st
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30th
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29th
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28th
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27th
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26th
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25th
|
24th
|
23rd
|
22nd
|
21st
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Eridu
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10,000
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Nippur
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13,000
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20,000
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10,000
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Uruk
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30,000
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50,000
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120,000
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50,000
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Kish
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40,000
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25,000
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10,000
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Ur
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6,000
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Larak
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10,000
|
Bad-tibira
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|
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16,000
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Shuruppak
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|
20,000
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17,000
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Umma
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26,000
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34,000
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20,000
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Adab
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11,000
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13,000
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10,000
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Kesh
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|
|
|
|
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10,000
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11,000
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Isin
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10,000
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Lagash
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40,000
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60,000
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10,000
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Girsu
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10,000
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40,000
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80,000
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Larsa
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10,000
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Akkad
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|
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36,000
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Zabala
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10,000
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