"Yeah, I heard," Sari answered. "It's terrible."

"What's terrible?" asked Abid. "Nobody really liked the queen."

"Don't you know? When royalty dies they take everything, including the servants, to the grave with them." Sari trembled as she spoke. "I went to school with some of those girls."

"You mean they bury them alive?" Abid's eyes widened. 

"Quiet," whispered Sari as the couple ducked into a dark alley.  "No, they murder them in perfect order. It's considered an honor, but it seems barbaric to me," In the background a funny little man danced around a ghostly blue fire and chanted:

"Evil spirit fly away,
In this child you cannot stay. 
Be ashamed and fly away
Never to return."

Sari sighed. "Speaking of barbarians, that bearded monster, Sargon, has invaded the Sumer lands. He has already taken several cities and the city of Ur is the next in line. It's the end of the civilized world. The people of Akkad don't even have a written language, and they use runners instead of wheels for their carts.  I can't see why the gods would allow it."

"Maybe their gods are more powerful than ours." Said Abid. "At least they are more fierce. Sargon's mother abandoned him to the Euphrates at birth, but he was rescued and grew up to be a mighty soldier. He conquered all the cities of Akkad before he even started to take the Sumer lands. They use bows and arrows. Our soldiers, with their puny spears, are killed before they can even get close."

"Why don't our soldiers use bows and arrows?" wondered Sari.

"Guess they don't know how," said Abid. "The Sumerians have been so busy fighting each other that they were taken by surprise.

I'm going to miss the temple with its beautiful tapestries, golden statues, and pottery. I wonder if the schools will be closed. That's something I won't miss. I hate algebra and calculus. All you girls have to do is weave things and make pottery."

"And cook, and clean," Sari argued. "It's so boring. I would love to learn algebra and calculus. Besides, boys can't be bought and sold like girls can. I hope my father doesn't sell me to the barbarians."

Abid was speechless. He and Sari had been close all of their lives and it was assumed that they would be married. He just took her in his arms and held her until all the tears were cried. "We should get married," he whispered. "I would never sell you to the barbarians." So Abid and Sari were married within the month.

Several months passed before the bearded warriors paraded down the streets of the city. They were such a contrast to the clean-shaven, bald-headed, Sumerian men. In Ur, beards were reserved for the gods. The city was taken with little resistance, and the first know empire was born. The barbarians learned to read and write from the Sumerians, settled down and married Sumerian women.

The family of Sargon defeated all their enemies and ruled for nearly 200 years in peace. They built temples, canals, roads, and palaces. When the Sumerians grew strong enough they overthrew the house of Sargon; however, they stayed united and formed their own empire. This lasted another 200 years.

Meanwhile another city of Sumer, Babylon, was growing powerful. Babylon conquered all the cities of Akkad and Sumer to form the great empire of Babylon. The city of Ur was the last to fall.