Sumer
/ˈsuːmər/noun
An ancient civilization and region of southern Mesopotamia, flourishing between the fourth and second millennia BCE.
Did you know?“Sumer” is not the civilization’s native name: it comes through Akkadian Šumeru, while the Sumerians referred to their land as Kengir or Kiengi, meaning “land of the civilized lords” in one traditional interpretation.
Etymological Timeline
Late 4th Millennium BCE
Sumerian
Kiengi / Ki-en-gi
“A native name associated with the southern Mesopotamian land of Sumer; its exact interpretation remains debated.”
3rd Millennium BCE
Sumerian
eme-gi
“The Sumerian language, literally “native tongue” or “native language.””
2nd Millennium BCE
Akkadian
Šumeru
“The Akkadian name for the southern Mesopotamian region ruled by the Sumerians.”
1st Millennium BCE
Biblical Hebrew
שִׁנְעָר / Šinʿar
“A biblical name for the land of southern Mesopotamia, often associated with Sumer.”
19th Century
English
Sumer
“The scholarly English name adopted for the ancient civilization and region of southern Mesopotamia.”
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