The Ancients Fall of the Sumerians
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Sep 11, 2025 
Dr. Paul Collins, an expert at the British Museum, takes us on a journey through ancient Mesopotamia to explore the fall of the Sumerians. He delves into the rise and decline of mighty city-states like Ur and Uruk. Discussions on natural disasters, the Akkadian influence, and internal strife reveal the complexities of this once-flourishing civilization. Collins emphasizes how environmental changes and power struggles led to Sumer's unraveling, and discusses the lasting legacy and cultural resilience of the Sumerians.
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Sumer As Early Urban Heartland
- Southern Mesopotamia hosted early urban city-states like Uruk, Ur, Lagash and relied on irrigation agriculture.
- Sumerian writing from the mid-third millennium BC gives clearer evidence of political organisation and identities.
Sargon's New Political Template
- Sargon of Akkad unified many southern city-states and created unprecedented regional control from Agade.
- His Semitic Akkadian court coexisted with Sumerian culture and reshaped regional political expectations.
Empire Without Immediate Social Overhaul
- Local city administration often continued under imperial overlords with daily life largely unchanged.
- Akkadian rulers extracted taxes and used wealth to fund monumental art and architecture.