[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":138},["ShallowReactive",2],{"article-origin-of-mesopotamian-civilization-en":3},{"id":4,"name":5,"keywords":4,"slug":6,"author":7,"status":4,"defaultLang":4,"ogImage":8,"ogType":9,"updateDate":10,"createDate":11,"isDeleted":4,"availableLangs":4,"i18nMeta":12,"relatedBlogs":23},null,"美索不达米亚文明的起源","origin-of-mesopotamian-civilization","卜可","https://image.big-history.online/tree_24.40/1770277056630_720_000153_1710133726312.jpg","article","2026-02-05T15:37:52","2023-11-27T11:27:24",{"name":13,"h1Title":14,"title":15,"subtitle":4,"keywords":16,"content":17,"overview":4,"description":18,"ogTitle":19,"ogDescription":20,"preface":4,"note":4,"langCode":21,"updateDate":10,"createDate":11,"priority":22,"author":7},"The earliest civilizations of mankind","Mesopotamia, the earliest human civilization","The Earliest Civilization of Mankind | The Origin of Sumerian Civilization, Mesopotamia and Mesopotamia","TwoRiversCivilization,Mesopotamia,Sumer","## The earliest human civilization\n\nIn the west of Asia, there are two great rivers, the \u003Cspan class=\"marker\" enus=\"Tigris River\" lon=\"39.7703\" lat=\"38.4333\" map=\"HB\" zoom=\"6\">Tigris\u003C/span> in the east is wild and violent, and the \u003Cspan class=\"marker\" enus=\"Euphrates River\" lon=\"38.6321\" lat=\"39.183\" map=\"HB\" zoom=\"4\">Euphrates\u003C/span> in the west is gentle and smooth, both of which originate from the \u003Cspan class=\"marker\" enus=\"Armenia\" lon=\"45.0407\" lat=\"40.0706\" map=\"HB\" zoom=\"4\">Armenian\u003C/span> plateau in today's \u003Cspan class=\"marker\" enus=\"Turkey\" lon=\"35.2407\" lat=\"38.9573\" map=\"HB\" zoom=\"4\">Turkey\u003C/span> and flow into the \u003Cspan class=\"marker\" enus=\"The Persian Gulf\" lon=\"51.5418\" lat=\"26.9028\" map=\"HB\" zoom=\"4\">Persian Gulf\u003C/span> after downstream convergence. This area was called \u003Cspan class=\"marker\" enus=\"Mesopotamia\" lon=\"43.4837\" lat=\"34.5338\" year=\"-4000\" map=\"HB\" zoom=\"4\">Mesopotamia\u003C/span> by the ancient Greeks, which means \"the place between the two rivers\", which is the famous two river basins. It is also the birthplace of the earliest human civilization in the eyes of most scholars.\n\nAt present (2025), the mainstream view is that * * the earliest civilization in the two river basins was created by the Sumerians (Sumerians) * *, and the Sumerians migrated here in about 4000 BC. We do not know which race the Sumerians belonged to, where they came from, and we are not sure about their earlier history. However, they should have a more direct inheritance relationship with the earlier Uruk culture. Its early embryonic stage is called \u003Cspan class=\"marker\" enus=\"Jemdet Nasr\" lon=\"44.779\" lat=\"32.717\" map=\"HB\" zoom=\"10\">Jemdet\u003C/span> Nasr culture (Jemdet Nasr Culture, a historical unit determined only in 2012 from 3100 BC to 2900 BC). If we go back further, then the Sumerian civilization should also have a deep origin with the earlier \u003Cspan class=\"marker\" enus=\"Ubaid\" lon=\"46.0306\" lat=\"30.9723\" year=\"-2900\" map=\"HB\" zoom=\"4\">Ubaid\u003C/span> culture. But archaeologists can't find much conclusive evidence, because there is no written record of these earlier cultures, and they can only sort out these cultural contexts that span hundreds of years through unearthed artifacts. No serious scholar will rely on speculation and imagination to define the development of civilization.\n\n\u003Cdiv class=\"img-container-article\">\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://image.big-history.online/tree_24.25.28/1772245658508_Archaic_cuneiform_tablet_E.A._Hoffman.jpg\" alt=\"那色文化时期的楔形文字泥板\" width=\"60%\"/>\n\u003Cspan>\nImage source: \u003Ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuneiform\" target=\"_blank\">Cuneiform\u003C/a>\n\u003C/span>\nThe \u003Cp class=\"description\">text comes from a piece of clay from the period of the \u003Cspan class=\"marker\" enus=\"Jemdet Nasr\" lon=\"44.779\" lat=\"32.717\" map=\"HB\" zoom=\"10\">Jemdiat Nase\u003C/span> culture, which is an important archaeological stage in \u003Cspan class=\"marker\" enus=\"Mesopotamia\" lon=\"43.4837\" lat=\"34.5338\" year=\"-4000\" map=\"HB\" zoom=\"4\">Mesopotamia\u003C/span> after the Uruk culture, mainly distributed in southern \u003Cspan class=\"marker\" enus=\"Iraq\" lon=\"43.6848\" lat=\"33.2209\" map=\"HB\" zoom=\"3\">Iraq\u003C/span>. It is generally regarded as an important part of the formation stage of Sumerian civilization. It is characterized by the emergence of writing: during this period, the original cuneiform gradually developed into a more systematic writing system, used to record economic accounts, administrative affairs and religious activities, mostly found on clay tablets and seals.\u003C/p>\n\u003C/div>\n\nIn addition, even if we think we have sorted out these threads, the actual situation may not be as simple as we thought. For example, when we describe the change of civilization or empire, the names of emperors can be clearly distinguished, because they are all specific historical figures; but the empire is different. The territory it occupies expands or shrinks, and the number of people it rules decreases. Or increase, including the weakening or enhancement of culture, etc., these cannot be quantified. The same is true for the broader concept of \"civilization\", whose connotation is more complex and changeable, so that it is difficult to describe clearly.\n\nHistorians are used to defining the invention of * * words * * as the dividing line of the birth of civilization. In fact, this is also a helpless move. This does not mean that the previous human society was \"uncivilized\" in the eyes of scholars, but it is just because there is no writing to understand prehistory (this seems \"absurd\", but scientific conclusions must have solid evidence, so We should understand the working principles of historians); similarly, this division does not mean that in the future, those who cannot read will be excluded from the civilized world; in fact, it is those who make up the vast majority of mankind, who take the initiative or are forced to contribute surplus value, whose existence makes the so-called civilization possible. Therefore, human beings should be \"civilized\" from beginning to end.\n\nBut civilization, after all, is an extremely abstract concept, usually defined as the sum of human positive achievements and good intentions. Specifically, it is a phenomenon that objectively exists in the human community and acts on each member, and it is also the most complex phenomenon in the known universe. More specifically, civilization includes the established constraints of custom, morality, law, politics, economy, culture, etc.; in fact, there are also factors such as family, education, science and technology, etc., which seem to be added to the \"civilization\". In the hodgepodge without any sense of disobedience. None of these factors can be simply described, so a \"civilization\" based on these concepts can only be a more abstract concept. In this case, if we understand the nature of \"abstraction\", we should know that abstraction can only arise from human conscious activities and is the core of wisdom; if there is no objection to this conclusion, then we can regard civilization as the inevitable result of human consciousness.\n\nBut human beings are a group, it actually has no brain and consciousness, it only has regular behavior, such as national behavior, social behavior and so on. This is important to each and every one of us, as humble human individuals, and everything we hold dear depends on these actions and the results of those actions. This result can be understood as the (social) reality we have to face; its picture is not abstract at all, because this picture is a portrayal of the fate of all living beings, and the human history presented in it is always so cold and cruel. It also highlights the preciousness and beauty of civilization to everyone. There is no doubt that the smallest elements that make up human behavior, although insignificant, are also flesh and blood individuals, and these individuals are \"us\". Perhaps, in the context of civilization, the seemingly unreachable goal of regulating human behavior is the object that we should seriously consider, which is related to the state of existence of each person in this world; because the thoughts and behaviors of individual human beings are the basic components that ultimately constitute human civilization; obviously, this is bound to greatly affirm the role of human elites, that is, the true meaning of the so-called \"elite.\n\nThe authors of this platform (Big History Online) and this article are clearly not elite; and to take the time to think about human civilization in the abstract, this grand task should be the work of philosophers. However, when humble we occasionally touch \"civilization\" and try to interpret its meaning, we will sooner or later concretize it. However, please be sure to put the object of concretization on yourself, and do not place civilization on abstract nouns such as \"Aryan. * * Human civilization is a whole, there is no \"yours\" or \"mine. Human civilization should only have two habitats, one is the most abstract human, and the other is the most concrete \"you\" and \"I\" *; there is no physical separation between the two, but they need to be integrated to form a \"human\" in the sense of civilization \".\n\nOf course, due to the lack of existing nouns, we will continue our story with the term \"so-and-so civilization\" in our future narration, but such an expression should not deepen the rift between human groups.\n\nNow, when returning to the origin of the Sumerians, we should understand that when it comes to the origin of nationality, race or a certain civilization, what we need to know is that these concepts are not \"pure\" at all, and the so-called \"pure race\" is only the imagination of some people. Even early ethnic groups such as Sumerian, their blood is also in the more distant history of the fusion. For thousands of years before Sumer established its own national (or city-state) identity, tribes and people from all over the world continued to migrate. These ancestors with different histories (in fact, at most they are only differences in habits, they are all similar gathering tribes) settled down in the vast and fertile alluvial plain and gradually merged into one. The process of the formation of a nation and civilization must also be gradual. However, the long river of time has submerged too many details and intermediate links, so today, thousands of years later, when we look back to observe, what suddenly appears in front of us is this unique earliest human civilization. The same is true of our own situation. One of the reasons for the division of human society lies in the lack of history and the shortsightedness of vision, which is rooted in the internal cohesion and external exclusion of social organizations constructed through power. In fact, it is also very ironic that**the name\" Sumer \"is not the name of the Sumerians themselves, but from the Akkadians (Akkadians) who were conquerors**. Around 2400 BC, under the leadership of Sargon the Great, they conquered Sumer and established the Akkadian Empire.\n\n**Then what kind of race are the\" Akkadians \"**? According to the historical data analysis, the Akkadians (their stories will be told later) are a branch from the Semites, and they may have come to this land earlier than the Sumerians. So, the question seems to become:**What race are the\" Semites \"again**? In fact, the word Semite is a new term that only appeared in modern times. It was first proposed by August Ludwig von Schlözer, a German historian of the Göttingen School of History. The time was 1781. At that time, it was used to refer to the people whose mother tongue belonged to the Semitic language family, so there was a cultural term called Semite. At that time, anti-Semitism prevailed, and despicable racists began to give the word \"Semite\" racial meaning, and on this basis, the idea of \"anti-Semite\" (German Anti-semitisch) was derived.\n\nNow, putting aside the non-existent concept of \"race\", we can see the Semites as a group composed of ancient Arabs, Jews, Canaanites, Assyrians, Babylonians and other homologous peoples. Their earliest distribution is also centered on the \u003Cspan class=\"marker\" enus=\"Arabian Peninsula\" lon=\"47\" lat=\"21\" map=\"HB\" zoom=\"3\">Arabian Peninsula\u003C/span> and extends to this area of the two river basins.After a little thought, we can understand that the development and interrelationship of the so-called abstract things of culture, nation and civilization is itself a complicated and chaotic process. It is one of the responsibilities of historians to analyze the context of this process and summarize the general laws. Its purpose includes the so-called knowledge of history and learning (usually not successful). But if we have to trace the source of meaningless and impossible from the perspective of race, and then fabricate fictional modern myths, I am afraid it will only be the usual tricks of extremists. Unfortunately, mankind still suffers more or less from such problems, which is really a stain on civilization.\n\n\u003Cdiv class=\"img-container-v1\">\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://image.big-history.online/000153/000153_1710133721418.png\" alt=\"两河流域Mesopotamia\" />\n\u003Cspan>\nImage source: Baidu Encyclopedia\n\u003C/span>\n\u003Cp class=\"description\">is located in the region of \u003Cspan class=\"marker\" enus=\"Mesopotamia\" lon=\"43.4837\" lat=\"34.5338\" year=\"-4000\" map=\"HB\" zoom=\"4\">Mesopotamia\u003C/span> in the two river basins, as well as the location of Sumer. The Sumerian civilization consisted of several city-states, including \u003Cspan class=\"marker\" enus=\"Ur City\" lon=\"46.1054\" lat=\"30.9567\" year=\"-2900\" map=\"HB\" zoom=\"4\">Ur\u003C/span>, \u003Cspan class=\"marker\" enus=\"Lagash City\" lon=\"46.4043\" lat=\"31.4068\" map=\"HB\" zoom=\"4\">Lagash\u003C/span>, \u003Cspan class=\"marker\" enus=\"Uruk City\" lon=\"45.635\" lat=\"31.32\" year=\"-2900\" map=\"HB\" zoom=\"6\">Uruk\u003C/span>, \u003Cspan class=\"marker\" enus=\"Nippur City\" lon=\"45.2252\" lat=\"32.1228\" year=\"-2900\" map=\"HB\" zoom=\"4\">Nippur\u003C/span>, \u003Cspan class=\"marker\" enus=\"Umma City\" lon=\"45.8667\" lat=\"31.6333\" map=\"HB\" zoom=\"4\">Umma\u003C/span>, and \u003Cspan class=\"marker\" enus=\"Eridu City\" lon=\"45.991\" lat=\"30.8095\" map=\"HB\" zoom=\"4\">Eridu\u003C/span>. \u003Cspan class=\"marker\" enus=\"Uruk City\" lon=\"45.635\" lat=\"31.32\" year=\"-2900\" map=\"HB\" zoom=\"6\">Uruk\u003C/span> is considered to be the earliest city of human birth. \u003Cspan class=\"marker\" enus=\"Mesopotamia\" lon=\"43.4837\" lat=\"34.5338\" year=\"-4000\" map=\"HB\" zoom=\"4\">Mesopotamia\u003C/span> was the world to the people in these city-states, so these city-states can also be seen as small kingdoms ruled by different kings.\u003C/p>\n\u003C/div>\n\n* * According to the current (2025) mainstream view, the Sumerian cuneiform script is the oldest human text * *, so beyond the time limit of Sumerian civilization, it is the so-called prehistoric era, and we do not have reliable information to ask our ancestors for the time being, so we can only call it \"culture. It can be seen from the map that the two river basins are probably located in what is now \u003Cspan class=\"marker\" enus=\"Iraq\" lon=\"43.6848\" lat=\"33.2209\" map=\"HB\" zoom=\"3\">Iraq\u003C/span>. The early Sumerians gathered in the south, while the corresponding north lived with another type of tribe, the Akkadian just mentioned. Although the geographical dividing line between the two is not clear, in general, they belonged to different peoples in the early years. The vast majority of Akkadians belong to Semites, while the Sumerian ethnic composition is more mixed, which contains a little shadow of Semitic culture, but more is their own national characteristics, such as unique language, writing and religious beliefs. According to historical research, Sumer in the 4th millennium BC was significantly more civilized than the northern tribes; however, it is clear that they also assimilated many Akkadians.\n\nMost scholars believe that the Sumerians have black hair because they simply call their area \"the land\" or \"the home of the blackheads\". Perhaps the Sumerians do not look much different from modern Arabs. Their language does not belong to any known language family, so it is an independent language family. The grammar is expressed by affixes and belongs to a kind of sticky language.\n\n\u003Cdiv class=\"img-container-v1\">\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://image.big-history.online/000153/000153_1710133726312.jpg\" alt=\"泥板上的苏美尔楔形文字\" width=\"70%\"/>\n\u003Cspan>\nImage: World History Project - The Chronometric Revolution By Bridgette Byrd O'Connor\n\u003C/span>\nThe picture above \u003Cp class=\"description\">shows Sumerian cuneiform written on a clay tablet. This document is a sales contract for fields and horses, about 2600 BC. The land in the document will not disappear, even if it is buried at the bottom of the sea; but where are the \"owners\" of the land now? Is the story of what happened on the land still worth spreading?\u003C/p>\n\u003C/div>\n\nAuthor Bu, thanks for paying attention to \"Big History Online\".\n\n## References\n\n\n\n《苏美尔人》伦纳德·伍雷； 王献华 魏桢力[译]；上海三联书店 2021-01\n\n《\u003Cspan class=\"marker\" enus=\"Mesopotamia\" lon=\"43.4837\" lat=\"34.5338\" year=\"-4000\" map=\"HB\" zoom=\"4\">美索不达米亚\u003C/span>文明（美国国家地理全球史）》；美国国家地理学会；袁姗姗[译]；现代出版社 2022-08\n\n《巴比伦：\u003Cspan class=\"marker\" enus=\"Mesopotamia\" lon=\"43.4837\" lat=\"34.5338\" year=\"-4000\" map=\"HB\" zoom=\"4\">美索不达米亚\u003C/span>和文明的诞生》保罗·克里瓦切克；陈沅[译]；社会科学文献出版社 2019-12\n\n\u003Cbr>\n\n---\n\n","Where was the earliest human civilization born? Who were the Sumerians? The definition of cuneiform, city-state, race and civilization. This paper systematically explains the beginning of the civilization of the two river basins.","The earliest civilization of mankind: from the two river basins to Sumer, the first dawn of civilization recorded in cuneiform script","6000 years ago, human beings lit the first ray of civilization in the two river basins, and words, cities and countries were born.","en",0.7,[24,31,38,46,53,60,67,74,81,88,95,102,110,117,124,131],{"id":25,"name":26,"keywords":4,"slug":27,"author":7,"ogImage":28,"isBlog":4,"createDate":29,"updateDate":29,"description":30},"9d6ffc016ad5496ea6cb688dbe06edf2","The kingship『descend from heaven 』","sumerian-king-list","https://image.big-history.online/tree_24.40/1770277186433_720_000171_1710127538406.jpg","2026-02-28T17:08:45","Why did the Sumerian king table say that \"kingship descends from heaven\"? This paper interprets the origin of the earliest human mythology of kingship, Eridu, Alulim, the Great Flood and the concept of divine kingship.\n",{"id":32,"name":33,"keywords":4,"slug":34,"author":7,"ogImage":35,"isBlog":4,"createDate":36,"updateDate":36,"description":37},"213ea5a691fc41e1ad791a7e019b462c","Ur III Dynasty","third-dynasty-of-ur","https://image.big-history.online/tree_24.40/1770277824740_720_1764042533754_Sumerian_Cylinder_Seal_of_King_Ur-Nammu.jpg","2026-03-05T13:46:00","The Third Dynasty of Ur was the last golden age of Sumerian civilization. It was established by Ulnam, unified the two river basins, revived culture and beliefs, promulgated the earliest known written code, and was eventually destroyed by Elam.",{"id":39,"name":40,"keywords":4,"slug":41,"author":7,"ogImage":42,"isBlog":4,"createDate":43,"updateDate":44,"description":45},"b6860d9ebc3a49f99736b06cedf9cae9","Humanity’s earliest writing","cuneiform-script-the-earliest-form-of-human-writing","https://image.big-history.online/tree_24.40/1770277157626_720_1761894888347_Proto-writing2.jpg","2026-02-28T16:18:11","2026-03-04T22:17:10","Where did the earliest human writing systems originate? How did cuneiform evolve from pictographic symbols into a fully developed script? This article focuses on the origins of writing and the threshold of civilization.",{"id":47,"name":48,"keywords":4,"slug":49,"author":7,"ogImage":50,"isBlog":4,"createDate":51,"updateDate":51,"description":52},"37c7166086b74b06933c04804257a88f","Gaxitte Babylonian Dynasty","third-babylonian-dynasty","https://image.big-history.online/tree_24.40/1770278352781_720_1764148860639_third-Babylonian-dynasty.jpg","2026-03-05T19:53:53","After the evacuation of the Hittites, the Gachts occupied Babylon to establish the Third Dynasty (1530-1157), continuing the Babylonian culture, which was eventually destroyed by the Elamese and ended their rule.",{"id":54,"name":55,"keywords":4,"slug":56,"author":7,"ogImage":57,"isBlog":4,"createDate":58,"updateDate":58,"description":59},"509949b4a5354c3ab6ef2f92b799d256","Shamsh-Adad I and the Kingdom of Assyria","shamshi-adad-i-and-assyrian-kingdom","https://image.big-history.online/tree_24.40/1770278144847_720_000173_1762999131031_000173_1710132937266.jpg","2026-03-05T15:18:35","Shamsh-Adad I (the Amorites) captured the Assyrian and Mare regions, established the Assyrian kingdom, and controlled the trade in the upper reaches of the two river basins. Although the empire collapsed after his death, it laid the foundation for Assyrian civilization.",{"id":61,"name":62,"keywords":4,"slug":63,"author":7,"ogImage":64,"isBlog":4,"createDate":65,"updateDate":65,"description":66},"06dcc5860f934b3cbbb6fa958408534f","The demise of Sumerian civilization","downfall-of-third-dynasty-of-ur","https://image.big-history.online/tree_24.40/1770277929161_720_1764047121010_Cylinder_seal_of_Shulgi.jpg","2026-03-05T14:13:44","The Third Dynasty of Ur was destroyed by the Elamites in 2004 BCE, marking the complete demise of Sumerian civilization. Neither its language nor its political institutions survived, thus bringing a tragic end to one of humanity’s earliest civilizations.",{"id":68,"name":69,"keywords":4,"slug":70,"author":7,"ogImage":71,"isBlog":4,"createDate":72,"updateDate":72,"description":73},"10ad0587383043eb9bf7f5e0533ec1af","The Code of Ulnum","code-of-ur-nammu","https://image.big-history.online/tree_24.40/1770277848286_720_1764938620405_code.jpg","2026-03-05T13:51:06","The Code of Urnum is the earliest known written law in the world, promulgated in the Third Dynasty of Ur, pioneered the rule of law, improved the principle of \"tit for tat\", and profoundly influenced later codes (including the Code of Hammurabi).",{"id":75,"name":76,"keywords":4,"slug":77,"author":7,"ogImage":78,"isBlog":4,"createDate":79,"updateDate":79,"description":80},"28a0e3032e324d8a943143654fa8b140","The Fall of Akkad","downfall-of-akkadian-empire","https://image.big-history.online/tree_24.40/1770277800570_720_1764039150481_stele_of_Naram-Sin.jpg","2026-03-05T13:36:00","After the death of Nalamshin, the Akkad Empire declined rapidly and perished under the internal and external rebellion and barbarian invasion. The first empire in human history ended and the two rivers returned to the city-state era.",{"id":82,"name":83,"keywords":4,"slug":84,"author":7,"ogImage":85,"isBlog":4,"createDate":86,"updateDate":86,"description":87},"dee6d46eb6fa42d9a970314574660c05","Epic of Gilgamesh","epic-of-gilgamesh","https://image.big-history.online/tree_24.40/1770277737442_720_1769241408984_Epic_of_Gilgamesh.jpg","2026-03-05T12:17:06","The Epic of Gilgamesh is the earliest written literature in the world. It tells the adventures of the kings of Uruk, Gilgamesh and Enkidu, including the story of the Great Flood, which has a profound impact on later civilizations and myths.",{"id":89,"name":90,"keywords":4,"slug":91,"author":7,"ogImage":92,"isBlog":4,"createDate":93,"updateDate":93,"description":94},"37a8f3ba255846fc878e141afbb90230","Sargon and the Akkadian Empire","sargon-the-great-akkadian-empire","https://image.big-history.online/tree_24.40/1770277603372_720_1763997605352_Sargon_of_Akkad_and_dignitaries.jpg","2026-03-05T11:56:23","King Sargon of Akkad brought an end to the chaotic warfare among the Sumerian city-states and established the first multi-ethnic, centralized empire in human history—the Akkadian Empire. He unified the Mesopotamian region and ushered in the era of empires in Western Asia.",{"id":96,"name":97,"keywords":4,"slug":98,"author":7,"ogImage":99,"isBlog":4,"createDate":100,"updateDate":100,"description":101},"2120dbc2b71e48f297d93857834b9419","The Mausoleum of King Ur and the \"Ur Army Flag\"","royal-cemetery-standard-of-ur","https://image.big-history.online/tree_24.40/1770277411515_720_1764318102810_1600px-Standard_of_Ur_-_War.jpg","2026-03-05T11:20:43","The tomb of King Ur is the most important archaeological discovery of the early Sumerian dynasty. The tomb of Queen Puabi, the remains of martyrs, the bull's head harp and the Ur military flag were unearthed, showing the glory and cruelty of the Sumerian civilization 4500 years ago.",{"id":103,"name":104,"keywords":4,"slug":105,"author":7,"ogImage":106,"isBlog":4,"createDate":107,"updateDate":108,"description":109},"fae2bb675a97427e97f33bd0085faa79","The first wheel and plow","invention-of-wheels-and-plough","https://image.big-history.online/tree_24.40/1770277127559_720_1762914174723_1599px-Maler_der_Grabkammer_des_Sennudem_001.jpg","2026-02-28T15:01:31","2026-03-04T22:26:57","Where were the wheel and plough first invented? How did the Sumerians move from the pottery wheel to the wheel and plough? This article describes the origin and influence of the two key human technologies.\n",{"id":111,"name":112,"keywords":4,"slug":113,"author":7,"ogImage":114,"isBlog":4,"createDate":115,"updateDate":115,"description":116},"389f738e7db449048c19be10058c85a6","The establishment of the Xia Dynasty in China","establishment-of-xia-dynasty","https://image.big-history.online/tree_24.40/1770277871973_720_000168_1710133309766.jpg","2026-03-05T13:55:34","The Xia Dynasty is the first dynasty in Chinese history. It was established by Dayu in about 2070 BC. The post-succession hereditary system replaced the Zen system. The Erlitou site is considered to be the capital of the middle and late Xia Dynasty.",{"id":118,"name":119,"keywords":4,"slug":120,"author":7,"ogImage":121,"isBlog":4,"createDate":122,"updateDate":122,"description":123},"989e5e086ff047f6af30c2c3725857b2","The Disgrace of the Cordion Gorge","roman-humiliation-at-caudine-forks","https://image.big-history.online/tree_24.40/1770291557096_720_1770005924895_Caudine-Forks.jpg","2026-03-08T15:57:17","In 321 BC, the Roman legions were forced to drill through the \"yoke gate\" of the Samonaes in the Canyon of Kaudeon \". This great humiliation did not bring down Rome, but gave birth to the reform of the Apia Avenue and the Squadron. In-depth exploration of how Rome learned from defeat and ultimately won the Second Samonet War.",{"id":125,"name":126,"keywords":4,"slug":127,"author":7,"ogImage":128,"isBlog":4,"createDate":129,"updateDate":129,"description":130},"c5735a41d07e4ccfa8cdff51907f94b4","The Lee Sini Act","lex-licinia-sextia","https://image.big-history.online/tree_24.40/1770291300714_720_1769590535729_Twelve-Tables.jpg","2026-03-08T15:16:04","The Lex Licinia Sextia was a milestone in the history of the Roman Republic. This article examines how the law, by curbing land consolidation, granting debt relief, and mandating the election of plebeian magistrates, brought an end to the aristocracy’s absolute monopoly on power and established the republican principle of checks and balances.",{"id":132,"name":133,"keywords":4,"slug":134,"author":7,"ogImage":135,"isBlog":4,"createDate":136,"updateDate":136,"description":137},"4cd7766ae5ee468ea48aa3adba7941a9","The establishment of the Roman Republic","the-establishment-of-the-roman-republic","https://image.big-history.online/tree_24.40/1770291076578_720_1769589582052_Roman_SPQR_banner.svg.jpg","2026-03-07T23:45:15","In 509 BC, Rome bid farewell to the royal government and opened a republic. An in-depth analysis of Polybius's theory of \"mixed polity\" and Monson's \"peer-to-peer, annual\" logic of checks and balances. Learn how Roman citizens, through power design, prevented the re-birth of the despotic monarchy.",1777530963542]