The Nile Valley civilization began as early as early as the Paleolithic Age, and a Neolithic culture was formed there around 6000 B.C. By about 3800 B.C. the people of this region began to take steps toward creating an actual civilization. The people discovered how to make copper, tin, and its alloy, bronze. The pottery wheel is believed to be a product of this era. By about 3000 B.C., scientists believe the people began using hieroglyphics as a form of writing. At first, hieroglyphics were carved on slate and ivory, but this was a long and strenuous process that required large amounts of time. Then they discovered that they could use a plant that grew in the marshes called papyrus to write on. Over the centuries, strong leaders united to the regions into two …show more content…
Religious books and songs were used to teach the children how to read, spell, and write. The subjects that the boys studied were reading, history, mathematics, foreign language, and mapmaking. Like the Egyptians, the Sumerians practiced polytheism. They tended to associate their gods with the forces of nature and heavenly bodies such as the sun and moon. Sumerians believed the gods had the same habits and feelings as ordinary humans but controlled much more power. The most important of the gods were as follows: Anu, lord of heaven, Enlil, god of the air and storms, and Ea, god of the waters. Unlike Egyptians, Sumerians did not have a strong belief in the afterlife. They believed neither in rewards in heaven or punishment in hell. They did believe in a dark, lower world. They feared ghosts, and thought if possessions were not buried with one, their spirit would come back to haunt that