Attacks by Neighboring Communities

Words to know

An embankment built to prevent the overflow of a river.

Fine particles of rock that would clog Mesopotamian canals.

The means of providing land with water.

A strong disagreement.

An early city that was like a small, independent country with its own laws and government.

As Sumerian cities grew, they fought over the right to use more water. 

Sometimes, people in cities located upriver (closer to where the river begins) built new canals or blocked other cities' canals. In this way, they kept water from reaching the cities that were downriver (farther from where the river begins). 

Disputes over water became so intense that they often led to bloodshed.

The Sumerians looked for ways to protect their cities from neighboring communities.

The plains provided no natural barriers. There were no mountain ranges or rushing rivers to keep out enemies.

he Sumerians began to build strong walls around their cities. They constructed the walls out of mud bricks that were baked in the sun until hard. 

The Sumerians also dug moats outside city walls to help prevent enemies from entering their cities. 

Most people lived in houses within the walled cities, but the farms lay outside. In case of attack, farmers fled the fields for safety inside the city walls.

The walled cities of Sumer were like independent countries. Historians call them city-states. By about 3000 B.C.E., most Sumerians lived in city-states.

Take Two