Sumer

... is the earliest known civilisation in Mesopotamia, and one of the first civilizations in the world along with Ancient Egypt and the Indus Valley. The Sumerians were characterised by their inventiveness, and developed what was probably the world's first writing system. They wrote on tablets of clay, later evolving the script that's known today as cuneiform, or 'wedge–shaped.'

Three of Sumer's principal city–states (flourishing at different times) were Ur, Uruk and Eridu.

Ur is believed by many to be the city mentioned in the Book of Genesis as Ur Kasdim, the birthplace of Abraham – who is traditionally believed to have lived some time in the second millennium BC.

Gilgamesh – the protagonist of what is often regarded as the earliest surviving great work of literature – was a ruler of Uruk, who lived some time between around 2800 BC and around 2500 BC.

© Haydn Thompson 2019