Before Adam "man existed not to cultivate the Earth" (please read note 1). Symbolically, this meant not only to develop the land for sustenance, but also to care for the earth and God's other creations. Or to put it another way, there was not a man genetically programmed to build, to create, to organize and to bring order onto the Creation. Adam lived from about 5407 BC to about 4477 BC (please read note 2). According to all modern historians, the Sumerians were the first people to develop a civilization. Generally, 3500 BC is the period most researchers place as the founding of this "cultivation of the earth." Perhaps their most outstanding contribution was the development of cuneiform script, the earliest known system of writing. Their written evidence also indicates they had knowledge of astronomy, mathematics, and medicine. The Sumerians also invented the plow and probably were the first to use wheeled vehicles, as well as being the first to use the arch in construction. The Sumerians were an agricultural people and discovered how to capture floodwater and later use it to irrigate in the dry season. The system was elaborate and quite a feat of engineering. It served to make vast areas of the desert bloom on the hot, dry Mesopotamian (Greek for "between the rivers") plain. Each year the lower plain between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers (see picture) would flood as the rains from the higher regions would rush toward the Persian Gulf. The Sumerians created hundreds of miles of water traps (shallow lakes) along the higher regions of the plain. When the land flooded, these receptacles would serve as reservoirs for future irrigation purposes. Because of the engineering, the results were deposits of valuable silt on the farmed land during the flood season and abundant water supplies during the dry hot growing season. This invention of irrigation on a large scale enabled the Sumerians to trade their surplus crops for metals (for which there were excellent craftsmen and engravers) and other goods and services. Because of this vast irrigation system, the Sumerians were able to settle permanently in one place. They were the first people to build cities. They used dried clay or mud bricks for buildings. They invented the "Temple," which resulted in a terraced tower or ziggurat, no doubt the first of the many pyramids created by ancient civilized man. The government was primarily a number of independent city-states. The Sumerian civilization continued until about 2300 BC. At that time, they were conquered by another Adamic race of people. They later regained independence. Some time later, they were conquered again and by 2000 BC they finally ceased to exist as a separate people. Abraham, of the Bible, a descendant of Adam, left Ur, Sumeria, his homeland, about 2000 BC. In the Bible, the name for Sumeria is The Chaldees. Who were the Sumerians, and where did they come from? The "native" residents of Sumeria were pre-Adamic men. They were shorter with dark hair and dark eyes. Most historians believe the creators of the Sumerian civilization to have come somewhere from the north. Waddell (note 3) states them to be long-headed (Nordic) Aryans (Indo-European). "They were the longish-headed, broad-browed and large-brained Nordic type; and they were obviously fair in complexion as attested by the blue eyes and white shell inlaid with lapis lazuli stone inset in some of their statues and also by the darker color of much of their jewelry; and of fair hair, and their general term for their subject people was 'the black-headed (haired) people'. The kings and officials on state occasions usually wore the Gothic horned head-dress of the Ancient Britons and Anglo-Saxon" (note 3). Waddell (note 3) also has an interesting study of the "King-List in the Isin Chronicle" of the ancient Sumerians. The "King-List" is exactly that, their official genealogical king's record. His deciphering work has tied the Sumerian, Assyrian, Babylonian, and Indian kings to the same source. In the Sumerian language records, the first of the ancient kings was known by several names, some of which were Ad, Adar, Adda, Addamu, or Adam. What happened to the Sumerian civilization? Why did it become weak and eventually cease to exist in its current location? Pendell (note 4) states that there was no apparent reason. However, he suggests that they failed to maintain a strong gene pool of genetically superior leaders; they failed to recognize nature and its natural selection process. He also states that "the economy turned socialistic under the direction of the priest, as the financial records show." In the next 1500 years, Mesopotamia was conquered and reconquered by different people. Some of the conquerors were pure Adamites; some were a mixture. The Assyrian Empire arose along with the Babylonian. Their leaders were initially Adamites; then as time progressed, most of the people became mixed. King Hammurabi established a written code of rules by which to live. Adamic man had long used these laws in his world; they were genetically ingrained, i.e., a circumcised heart (note 5), so to speak. But this was the first time in history the laws had become written (note 6). The Babylonians made advances in science. They made many accurate astronomical observations and performed many complex mathematical calculations. Man's world order began to override God's order. The influence of Adam's genealogy in Assyria and Babylonia grew weak with time, but it was still alive. In a selfish manner, Adamic man continued onward following his genetic programming. But in time the greatness waned in Mesopotamia. The strong among him traveled further westward. Today, most of the people we see in southwestern Iraq (ancient Mesopotamia) and the remaining Middle East are the mixture of pre-Adamic man (the darker skin and eyes people) and Adamic man, the creators of the ancient Sumerian/Assyrian/Babylonian civilizations. However, there still exists a remnant of pure Adamic man living in these regions. They are easily noticed, surrounded by a dark skin and eyes people. Footnotes, 1. Holy Bible, Ferrar Fenton version, Genesis 2:5. 2. Considering the current life expectancy to be about 80 years, many people of today do not believe that Adam could have lived to be 930 years old. One possible explanation was that Adam, being Adamic man, par excellence, was particularly resistant to disease and the aging process. Another possibility concerning Adam's age is that perhaps the life of Adam relates to a period. For example, the Plantagenet family, a ruling family in English history, ruled from 1154 AD to 1485 AD. Likewise, in Scotland, the House of Alpine ruled from 842 AD to 1034 AD, and the House of Stewart ruled from 1371 AD to 1625 AD. One could say that Plantagenet lived for 331 years, Alpine for almost 200 years and Stewart for about 250 years. 3. The Makers of Civilization in Race & History, by Waddell, 1929, pp. 3 onward. Waddell was the premier, early 20th century historian, well known for is deciphering skills of ancient historical records. 4. Why Civilizations Self-Destruct, by Pendell, 1977, pp. 135-136. 5. Deuteronomy 30:6. 6. Hammurabi lived about 300 years before Moses. The Code of Hammurabi and the "Law of Moses" were not identical, but had many similar points. One could argue that Moses stole this law from Hammurabi simply because he was born later. However, for the astute Bible student, it becomes apparent that God gave his laws to Adam, and Adam's descendants carried them throughout the ages. Scriptures for America has a 6 part series on "The Law" that moderately discusses this particular issue.