Sumerians

Civilization	Technology tree	Strategy

Template:Infobox CivlizationThe Sumerians are a playable civilization in Age of Empires. They are an infantry based civilization, and excel at making strong economies.

Features

• +50% Stone Thrower, Catapult, and Heavy Catapult rate of fire
• +15 Villager hitpoints
• Farms +125 food.

AI Player Names

Names shown in italics are only used in the original game, names shown in bold are used in both the original game and its expansions.

• Gilgamesh - King of Uruk around 2600 BC
• Sargon - King of Akkad c. 2334-2279 BC
• Gilgamesh II - Did not exist in Sumer
• Sargon II - Did not exist in Sumer
• Sargon III - Did not exist in Sumer
• Gilgamesh III - Did not exist in Sumer
• Sargon IV - Did not exist in Sumer
• Lugalzaggesi - King of Sumer 2296-2271 BC
• Rimush - King of Akkad 2283-2274 BC
• Urukagina - King of Lagash, 25th or 24th century BC
• Enheduanna - High Priestess of Ur, daughter of Sargon
• Naram Sin - King of Akkad 2254-2218 BC
• Lugalbanda - Mythological king of Uruk
• Emmerkar - Mythological king of Uruk
• Mesannepada - King of Ur, 26th or 25th century BC

History

Sumerian civilization took form in the Uruk period (4th millennium B.C.), continuing into the Jemdat, Nasr and Early Dynastic periods. It was conquered by the Semitic-speaking kings of the Akkadian Empire around 2400 BC. Native Sumerian rule re-emerged for about a century in the third dynasty of Ur (Sumerian Renaissance) of the 21st to 20th century (short chronology).

The cities of Sumer were the first civilization to practice intensive, year-round agriculture, by 5000 BC showing the use of core agricultural techniques including large-scale intensive cultivation of land, mono-cropping, organized irrigation, and the use of a specialized labour force. The surplus of storable food created by this economy allowed the population to settle in one place instead of migrating after crops and grazing land. It also allowed for a much greater population density, and in turn required an extensive labour force and division of labour. Sumer was also the site of the first early development of writing, progressing from a stage of proto-writing in the mid 4th millennium BC to writing proper in the third millennium.