Ancient Mesopotamia, now modern Iraq, was divided by the Akkadians to the north and the Sumerians to the south (Dlott et al.). Their government was made up of cities and states and the two parties had similar cultures but spoke different languages ​​("Ancient Mes: Akkadian Empire"). But even though the two languages ​​were different in Mesopotamia, they remained very similar. Sumer, was the southern part of Mesopotamia and is generally called the "cradle of civilization" (Mark). Indeed, the Sumerians are actually the oldest civilization recorded in history. The Sumerian period extended from approximately 5000 BC to 1750 BC, a reign of over 3000 years (Mark). The Sumerian language underwent many changes as the civilization itself changed and developed over the years. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay According to the article "Sumer", the first settlers of Sumer established themselves in the country between 4,500 and 4,000 BC. -Semitic and known as Ubaidians, this referred to the village of Al-Ubaid where the remains of these people were first discovered. The Ubaidians were the first civilized force in Sumer with established industries including weaving, masonry, pottery and much more. They also managed to develop a trading system. After the immigration of the Ubaidians to the southern part of Mesopotamia, many Semitic peoples infiltrated their lands and mixed their cultures with their own. The results were a Presmerian ("Mark") civilization. "By the 3rd millennium BC, the country was the site of at least 12 distinct city-states: Kish, Erech, Ur, Sippar, Akshak, Larak, Nippur, Adab, Umma, Lagash, Bad-tibira and Larsa”, (“Sumer”). “Sumer” also says that each of these city-states was independent with its own rules and its own form of society. He states that they worshiped their own gods and goddesses and that political power rested with the people. But over time, tensions and rivalries began to intensify between the states and the system of kingship was then adopted ("Sumer"). The article states that there are records showing that 8 kings ruled Sumer before the great flood. The 3rd millennium of the Sumerian period was the Ur dynasty. The first king of this era was Ur-Nammu and he established the first code of laws in the history of Mesopotamia ("Sumer"). This 3rd dynasty seems to be a vital period for the Sumerians. Not only did they expand their territory into the southern regions of Mesopotamia and develop a form of government, but this is also when their language was first attested ("Sumerian language"). “When Sumerian cities began to grow into cities and their civilization began to build, people needed ways to keep track of their government documents, business transactions, and property rights” (“ Ancient Mes: Writing"). Communication was necessary for all of these things to happen and for a government to be successful. In 3300 BC, the Sumerians began to develop a solution to all of their record-keeping and tracking problems. “It was at this time that the Sumerians began using pictorial symbols carved on clay tablets to keep records. To do this, they took a stick made from a reed [otherwise known as a stiletto] and pressed their symbols into soft, wet clay. Once the clay hardened, they would then have a recordpermanent” (“Ancient Mesopotamia: Writing”). Their symbols were very simple and easy to understand. Supposedly an image of someone's head, literally meaning head. Over time, they began adding sounds and meanings to the scribes on the clay by adding corner marks. This form of writing was known as wedge writing (“Ancient Mes: Writing”). “Ancient Mesopotamia: Writing” also talks about understanding the Sumerian tablets and why the language is so difficult to translate. He said there are more than 700 symbols and symbol meanings, making it difficult to get a clear idea. As if that weren't enough, all of these symbols and meanings also change across cities and regions, as well as over time. However, most of the tablets to date have been deciphered and this is how experts know so much about the government, culture and general lifestyle of the Sumerians. After the great flood that occurred in southern ancient Mesopotamia, the king would temporarily take power. on top of each other. They fought for hundreds of years, which left them vulnerable to attack and the risk of being conquered (“Sumer”). As a result, around 2300 BC they were conquered by the Akkadians and at the head was the king known as Sargon. “Although Sargon's dynasty lasted only about 100 years, it united the city-states and created a model of government that influenced all Middle Eastern civilization” (“Sumer”). The Akkadians saw many positives in bringing their cities and states together. They conquered all of Sumer and extended their empire to the Mediterranean Sea. They ruled from 2300 BC to 2100 BC when the Sumerian city Ur conquered Akkad. And even though it was ruled by a Sumerian king, the nation remained united (“My Elders: Akkadian Empire”). During this period, the article "Sumerian Language" says that the spoken Sumerian language was replaced by the Semitic Akkadian language, but was still used in written form almost until the end of the Akkadian language. This was a huge setback in the development of the language as it was only spoken in a small area in the city of Sumer while Akkadian was spoken throughout the Akkadian empire. “…the Neo-Sumerian period ended around 2000 BC, when further incursions by Semitic desert peoples succeeded in destroying the 3rd Dynasty of Ur and establishing the Semitic dynasties of Isin, Larsa and Babylon” (“… Sumerian language). The period of these dynasties is known today as the "Old Babylonian Period" ("Sumerian language"). The “Sumerian Language” talks about the Old Babylonian period and explains how the Sumerian language was damaged. According to the article, during this period, the Sumerians lost all their power. They had no political identity and their language was gradually beginning to disappear. However, it was still used in legal and administrative documents. Akkadian was still the main language spoken during the Babylonian era. It was similar to the Sumerian language because the Akkadian language was actually developed from the Sumerian language itself. It was “written in a cuneiform script developed from that of the Sumerians, containing approximately 600 word signs and syllables. The sound system of the language had 20 consonants and 8 vowels (long and short a, i, e and u)” (“Akkadian language”). The Sumerian language became completely extinct around the Christian era ("Sumerian language") when the Akkadian language began to split into a set of dialects and evolve until both languages ​​ceased to exist ( “Akkadian language”). Keep in mind:.