DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.5625#0080
The Earliest Babylonians 61
of copper. But he did not at first know how to harden the
C0Pper into bronze by admixture of tin (p. 32, n. 1).
Trade and government taught these people to make records, 102. Sume-
<.„r . 1 , . r a ■ nan wedge-
^ratcned in rude pictures with the tip of a reed on a Hat piece form writing
01 soft clay. Speed in writing simplified these pictures into
groups of wedge-shaped , marks, once the lines of the picture
(■F'S- 37)- Hence these signs are called cuneiform, meaning
wedge-form," writing (Latin cuneus, "wedge"). This writing
was phonetic, but did not possess alphabetic signs.
The Sumerian system of numerals was not based on tens, 103. Sume-
hnf 1, i rian numerals
uuc had the unit sixty as a basis. A large number was given ana weights
as so many sixties, just as we employ a score (fourscore, five-
score). From this unit of sixty has descended our division of
rhe circle (six sixties) and of the hour and minute. The leading
Urn-t of weight which they used was a mina, divided into sixty
shekels. The mina had the weight of our pound, and commerce
w'th the Orient at last brought this measure of weight to us,
though under another name.
■Almost in the center of the Plain of Shinar rose a tall tower. 104. The
Tt ii -n t_ Sumerian
was of sun-dried brick, for there was no stone in all Baby- temple-tower
lonia. It Was the dwelling of Enlil, the great Sumerian god and relision
°f the air. The tower served as an artificial mountain, probably
Duik in memory of some ancient temple on a hilltop in their
former mountain home. : Similar towers became common in
We Plain of Shinar and it was such a temple-tower in Babylon
which later gave rise to the story of the " Tower of Babel"
among the Hebrews. The Sumerian temple-tower was the
ar»cestor of. our church steeple {Ancient Times, Fig. 272). Such
"nature gods" as Enlil, god of the air, played a great part
m Sumerian life; and the temple in each community was the
center of the town.1
Around the temple extended the houses of the townspeople.
They were bare rectangular dwellings of sun-dried brick
tr 1 A fuller statement of Sumerian religion will be found in Ancient Times,
§§ 152-155.
of copper. But he did not at first know how to harden the
C0Pper into bronze by admixture of tin (p. 32, n. 1).
Trade and government taught these people to make records, 102. Sume-
<.„r . 1 , . r a ■ nan wedge-
^ratcned in rude pictures with the tip of a reed on a Hat piece form writing
01 soft clay. Speed in writing simplified these pictures into
groups of wedge-shaped , marks, once the lines of the picture
(■F'S- 37)- Hence these signs are called cuneiform, meaning
wedge-form," writing (Latin cuneus, "wedge"). This writing
was phonetic, but did not possess alphabetic signs.
The Sumerian system of numerals was not based on tens, 103. Sume-
hnf 1, i rian numerals
uuc had the unit sixty as a basis. A large number was given ana weights
as so many sixties, just as we employ a score (fourscore, five-
score). From this unit of sixty has descended our division of
rhe circle (six sixties) and of the hour and minute. The leading
Urn-t of weight which they used was a mina, divided into sixty
shekels. The mina had the weight of our pound, and commerce
w'th the Orient at last brought this measure of weight to us,
though under another name.
■Almost in the center of the Plain of Shinar rose a tall tower. 104. The
Tt ii -n t_ Sumerian
was of sun-dried brick, for there was no stone in all Baby- temple-tower
lonia. It Was the dwelling of Enlil, the great Sumerian god and relision
°f the air. The tower served as an artificial mountain, probably
Duik in memory of some ancient temple on a hilltop in their
former mountain home. : Similar towers became common in
We Plain of Shinar and it was such a temple-tower in Babylon
which later gave rise to the story of the " Tower of Babel"
among the Hebrews. The Sumerian temple-tower was the
ar»cestor of. our church steeple {Ancient Times, Fig. 272). Such
"nature gods" as Enlil, god of the air, played a great part
m Sumerian life; and the temple in each community was the
center of the town.1
Around the temple extended the houses of the townspeople.
They were bare rectangular dwellings of sun-dried brick
tr 1 A fuller statement of Sumerian religion will be found in Ancient Times,
§§ 152-155.