Sumer is the earliest known civilization in the historical region of southern Mesopotamia. Modern historians have suggested that Sumer was first permanently settled between c. 5500 and 4000 BC and they spoke the Sumerian language.
Pre-historic people of Southern Mesopotamia were called Ubaidians. All their male and female figurines represent snake faces. Serpent worship was prevalent amongst ancient civilizations. They are wearing some kind of helmet or kind of pagadi on their heads and have padding on their shoulders that may represents serpent skins. They lived in a large villages in mud-brick houses.
They used to dwell on marshy areas, wet land areas or sea areas. Mastaya life style and hunting and fishing led them to survive in water. Water was their god and protector! Their heaven lies under water or in Netherworld (Patala loka). In Hindu mythology, Patala Loka is more prosperous than Swarga Loka. Patala Loka is called Naga Loka!
Lord Vishnu sleeps on Shesha Naga in a deep sea. Nagas adopted Vishnu as their God because Mastaya avatar Vishnu saved them from deluge of oceans.
They drained out the marshy land and made it suitable for agriculture and started trade and other crafts work for their livelihood. They were Ubaidians (Nagas of Indian mythology), saved by Mastaya avatar Vishnu from a great deluge. They were the progenies of Shraddhadeva Manu (the first man)!
They carried their God Utu with them. Utu was the oldest Sun god. The land of Southern Mesopotamia or Su people accepted them. Atri adopted Utu as his son. Atri means 'I am third'. Atri was lady Mohini-avatara of lord Vishnu. Utu married Sunitha of Su people who were native of Southern Mesopotamia. Their marriage alliance created Dilmun, a very prosperous city on a marshland. They built Ziggurat for their god Enki at Eridu or Iritu or Aratta of "Enmerkar and Lord of Aratta" tale. Aratta was the land of prosperities, land of precious metals and gemstones.
The first settlement in southern Mesopotamia was established at Eridu around 6500 BC by Sea faring people. They came in contact with Sauma/Soma/Su people and pioneered agriculture and trade at southern part. They cleaned marshland for agriculture, built canals, developed trade, made potteries, weaving, and other craft-works, mud-brick houses for large population settlements.
Sumerian referred the mixed culture of original "Su" people and ancient Mer or Mari of north eastern Semitic population. Mari were nomadic and Semitic pastoralist culture living in tents and following herds of sheep and goats. Samarra and Sumeria have same etymological origin. Sumerians called themselves "the black headed people".
Sauma/Soma/Sama was god of herbs and vegetations. Land of agriculture and grains was the land of Soma. They were called "Su" people.
A cultural symbiosis happened between two different cultures and a new culture emerged out from them. Semitic population infiltrated Mesopotamian territory, added themselves with the Su people/Sauma/Soma. Soma and Mari of Semitic herds mixed up and created Samarran culture. Samarra culture was prominent at Central Mesopotamia. Samarra culture flourished alongside the Ubaid period. There is a close similarities between Samarra pottery design and Ubaidian pottery design. Ubaidians and Samarra cultures assimilated and emerged as Sumerians cultures. Samarra culture ended around 4500 BC and Sumerian culture came into existence from Uruk.
Due to arid climate and alluvium, land was not good for agriculture. They needed extensive canal network to channel river water in different directions to each villages and cities. It was the Ubaidians or the collective efforts of Ubaidians and Sammarans, whom we now safely can say Sumerians, developed extensive canal networks for major settlements. These people pioneered the growing of grains in extreme conditions of aridity. It was a centralised coordination of all city states. As per Puranas, it was Prithu started milking of Earth to obtain the crops.
Sumerian civilization emerged in Southern Mesopotamia and Uruk was the oldest city established by Sumerians. They had invented wheel, writing, the sail boat, agricultural processes such as irrigation, vast canal system, and concept of the city.
Interpretation of ancient Scriptures
We have vast written text that explains human origin, its development, and civilizations building through the medium of stories. India had produced an alternate version of telling history in the form of Shruti and Smriti traditions, through generations. The knowledge was orally transmitted by Gurus and remembered and interpreted by their Shishyas of different schools of Veda and philosophy. These knowledge demands devotion, hard work, practice, and service from their seekers. It was not supposed for at random readings by anyone without grasping the essence.
Indians were evolved to see world from different perspectives that's why they invested on exercises of knowledge and truth than on the exercises of building big pyramids and Ziggurats.
Indians were evolved to see world from different perspectives that's why they invested on exercises of knowledge and truth than on the exercises of building big pyramids and Ziggurats.
Our scriptures have always been misinterpreted and wrongly translated. There is different way to reading and understanding the text. These scriptures are written in a way to give three interpretations:
Upachariradi (higher interpretation)--transcendental so every Puranic story, Ramayana, Mahabharata have their transcendental, metaphysical interpretation.
Astiakdi (historical interpretation)-- Mahabharata, Ramayana and chronologies of ancient kings given in Puranas are the actual history penn down.
Manvadi (dharmik or bhakti interpretation)-- and here are Rama, Krishna, Vishnu, Shiva, shakti the manifestation of supreme power and truth and we worship them as our gods. They have transcendental concept but in Bhakti we give them Manavadi roop and worship them.
Once we shed our prejudices and think beyond stereotyped readings and researches, we will see a lot more similarities in Mesopotamian gods and their counterparts in Hinduism and its sister religions.
Sangaya Vs Sang-ngiga
Sumerian referred to themselves as Ug sag gig ga/un sangi ga, sang-ngiga that literally means 'black headed people' and their land as place of noble lords. We only assumed white Nordic race are noble and superior!
Sang-gya was Sumerian. Ninhursang, goddess of trees and vegetation was the Earth goddess. She was Soma/Sauma/Su people. Sang-gya married to Utu/Vivaswan of wet land area where Sun rises first, and gave birth to Vaivasvata Manu and Yama-Yami pair.
The Sons of Vaivasta Manu set up four main solar empires which became Nine kingdoms called the Surya Mandala under the rules of Great kings like Ikshwaku, Vikukshi, Nabhaga, Nrga, Saryati, Pranshu-Karusha, Nabhanedishta and Narishyant. These later developed into smaller and smaller kingdoms but the main stem was still Surya Vansha.
Transition of Uruk from Eridu made a cultural changes and civilization shifted from Priestly culture to Kshatriya-priest culture.
Conclusion
There is a close connection and continuity appears in near eastern civilization development, belief system, and rituals with the Indus-Saraswati civilization. Different stories from different regions and various eras depict the true history with different characteristic and details.
We will have little or probably have no archaeological backing for 5,6 thousands years old civilizations which buried deep down under layers and layers of further developments. If we closely and diligently study our ancient text and the corresponding Mesopotamian text, we can dig out many surprising truth. It's high time to change the stereotype approaches to solve the historical mysteries. We need to change our vision to see history through new and refined lenses.
