2. The First Towns of the Fertile Crescent
The Hassuna culture (6000-4500 BCE) began to develop wealth among
leaders and chiefs who controlled trade among their subjects (Haywood
24-25).
This wealth was stored in jewelry, pottery, sculptures and tools found in ancient
warehouses (Haywood 24-25).
Token Systems made up of hollow clay spheres and impressed tokens
existed at multiple Sumerian sites, such as Uruk Erech, Susa, Choga Mish,
and Tutub (Haywood 27).
3. Technology of the First Farmers
Having an economic incentive to increase production of food, the
Samarrans developed important agricultural technologies, primarily
irrigation (Haywood 24-25).
This further allowed them to expand their territory into the previously
uncultivable Central Mesopotamia (Haywood 24-25).
The culture that replaced the Samarrans, the Ubaid, invented the plough
around 4500 BCE to further increase agricultural production (Haywood 25).
This, in turn, led to their invention of the sail and pottery wheel (Haywood 25).
4. Technology of the Sumerians
The Sumerians had a huge surplus of animals, allowing them to have more
specialization than many civilizations, especially among the crafts
(Haywood 26).
The result of this, was, towards the end of the Neolithic era, the invention of
Bronze and methods of metalworking (Haywood 26).
A significant technology of the Sumerians was their written language,
which was first created around 3400 BCE in the form of pictographs as a
method of tracking stores of surpluses (Haywood 26).
Out of this evolved their cuneiform system around 2900 BCE (Haywood 26).
While this was developed as an economic technology, its ultimate purpose was
as a form of communication, as seen in today’s cultures.
5. Works Cited
Haywood, John. The Penguin Historical Atlas of Ancient Civilizations.
London: Penguin, 2005. Print.
