Civilizations developed five thousand years ago. A civilization is the advance stage of human life with city states and an organized government. From these civilizations, Ancient Mesopotamia arose. Ancient Mesopotamia is known as "the land between two rivers" because it is located between the Tigris and Euphrates. Its location is essential for travel, agriculture and irrigation. The water from the rivers deposit fertile soil for agriculture. Therefore, food was abundant and travel was easy. Ancient Mesopotamia had a theocracy. A theocracy is a form of civil government in which God himself is recognized as the head. Since the priest was deemed as closet to god, he was given complete authority over records, food distribution/production and projects like building irrigation systems. Even though the priest was important, the people of Ancient Mesopotamia known as the Sumerians were very accomplished.
The Sumerians developed a system of writing known as cuneiform. In cuneiform, a pointed stick called the stylus was used to form wedge shaped impressions on clay tablets. These wedge shaped impressions represented syllables that formed words when joined together. By using this form of writing, the Sumerians were able to preserve ideas and knowledge for the future and communicate over long distances. Since writing was developed, boys were able to go to school. They attended school from five to seventeen years old and when their education was completed, they became scribes. However, girls were not as lucky and had to learn at home. Besides writing, the Sumerians achieved much more that enhanced their civilization.
The Sumerians are well known for their architectural talents, religious devotion and knowledge. They invented the arch that is still used today for support on bridges and over doors. Also, the Sumerians built huge temples to worship their gods. In these temples, extraordinary statues with bulging eyes were present.