Sumer
  Sumer  General location on a modern map, and main cities of Sumer with ancient coastline. The coastline was nearly reaching Ur in ancient times. | |
| Geographical range | Mesopotamia, Near East, Middle East |
|---|---|
| Period | Late Neolithic, Middle Bronze Age |
| Dates | c. 4500 – c. 1900 BC |
| Preceded by | Ubaid period |
| Followed by | Akkadian Empire |
Sumer (/ˈsuːmər/)[note 1] is the earliest known civilization in the historical region of southern Mesopotamia (now southern 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, 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.[1]
