Question

Although the Sumerians gave rise to the earliest examples of writing in cuneiform on clay tablets, we have less art available from this culture than from the ancient Egyptians of the same period. How is this possible?

(1 point)
Responses

The clay bricks and mud the Sumerians used as building materials were not very durable.

The clay bricks and mud the Sumerians used as building materials were not very durable.

The stones the Sumerians used to build with were later stolen by other civilizations.

The stones the Sumerians used to build with were later stolen by other civilizations.

Most of the pieces of Sumerian art were stolen from the National Museum of Iraq in 2003.

Most of the pieces of Sumerian art were stolen from the National Museum of Iraq in 2003.

All of the Sumerian art pieces were kept in the Tower of Babel, which eventually burned to the ground.

Answer 1

The clay bricks and mud the Sumerians used as building materials were not very durable.

Their monuments and many objects were made of mudbrick and other perishable materials (and the Mesopotamian environment was less preservative than Egypt’s desert stone), so far fewer works survived.