Pictographic writing was developed by the ancient Sumerians around 3000 BCE and was the first written system used in Mesopotamia. It consisted of angular and wedged symbols and became the dominant script in the Near East for over 3000 years. The Sumerian tablets also contained some of the earliest recorded religious texts and information about trade, production, and history. Metallurgy emerged after 4000 BCE and the use of metals like copper and bronze replaced stone and bone tools, leading to improvements in technology and agriculture. The Code of Hammurabi established one of the first written legal systems around 1780 BCE in ancient Babylon and protected individuals from arbitrary rule through a set of explicit laws. The introduction of iron around 2000

1. Kayla Morris
Intro to Humanities
Professor Wheelus

2. What are the landmarks of humankind’s first
civilizations? How have these landmarks
shaped or influenced our present-day lives?
A landmark is an event, discovery, or change
marking an important stage or turning point.

3. What was it?
Developed by the
ancient Sumerians of
Mesopotamia in
3000 BCE
Pictographic writing
system that consisted of angular and wedged
shaped symbols
Became the type of script that was used
throughout the Near East for over three thousand
years
(Fiero 6)

4. Why was it significant?
Used for the first written records
First written evidence of religion in
the world was recorded on
Sumerian tablets
Without it, there would be no
historical records from the Mesopotamian era
The tablets contained notations about trade and production,
inventory and business accounts, records of historical events, myths,
prayers, and genealogies from the time period.
Set a basis for the more advanced forms of writing that
came later in history
(Fiero 6)

5. What was it?
Began shortly after 4000
B.C.E.
Metal began to replace
stone and bone tools
and weapons
Spread from Mesopotamia throughout the ancient
world
(Fiero 7)

6. Why was it significant?
Produced harder, more efficient tools and weapons
Gave individuals more control over nature and its
elements
Led to vast improvements
in agricultural practices
Paved the way for
technological
advancements that were
yet to come
(Fiero 7)

7. What was it?
Formed by Babylon’s sixth ruler,
Hammurabi
A collection of 282 clauses
engraved on a 7-foot high stele
Most extensive and
comprehensive set of laws to survive from the
ancient times
(Fiero 10-11)

8. Why is it significant?
Represents a landmark advance in the development of
human rights because it protects the individual from
decisions of the monarch
Replaced the flexibility of spoken word with the rigidity of
written law (similar to the Magna Carta or the Constitution)
It restricted individual freedom, but it guarded the basic
values of the community
Legally protected women
Shifted the burden of judgement from the individual ruler to
the legal establishment
(Fiero 10-11)

9. What is it?
Iron was introduced into Asia Minor in 2000 BCE by
the Hittites
It was cheaper and more durable than bronze
Iron became the new, superior technology
Also saw the introduction
of horse-drawn war chariots
(Fiero 12)

10. Why was it significant?
Iron tools increases agricultural production, therefore
increasing population
Iron weapons and war chariots became a deadly
combination
Contributed to larger, more
efficient armies
Encouraged the rise of
powerful empires
Iron contributed to the
growth of these empires,
which indirectly influenced
imperialism
(Fiero 12)

11. Throughout the history of humanity, we as a
whole have strived, starved, succeeded, and
failed. The successes, however, have out-
weighed the failures, a clear indicator that
the advancements of the Old World have
molded the choices of the New World.

12. Fiero, Gloria K. "Revelation: The Flowering of
World Religions." Landmarks in Humanities. 3nd
ed. Boston: McGraw-Hill Higher Education,
2013. 6,7, 10, 11, 12. Print.