Daily Life & Social Structure
The civilizations of Ancient Mesopotamia have a complex social structure. This includes different jobs & social levels. Some people have a higher social status than others.
Scientist later found evidence of several social classes that lived in the city of Sumer. These classes included: Priests, Landowners, & Government officials. The citizens of these social classes had the largest & most luxurious homes. They also lived near the center of the city.
In the middle was the common class. This included the Merchants & Craftspeople. The craftspeople included highly skilled metal-workers that worked with a variety of metals. These included: gold, silver, tin, lead, copper, & bronze. With these minerals the craftspeople made swords & arrowheads for the army. They also made tools such as plows & hoes for the farmers, & luxury items such as mirrors & jewelry for the upper class.
Also included in the common class were the farmers & fishermen. They often lived at the edge of the city. Farmers worked to build & repair irrigation systems & in times of war, they were forced to serve in the army.
At the very bottom of the social class were the slaves. They lived in their owners' home & had no property of their own.
Daily Life In Ancient Mesopotamia
Cities in Ancient Mesopotamia first developed in the Southern part of the land called Sumer. The earliest cities date back to 3500 B.C. E. They began as independent countries. Each had their own ruler& farmland. This is the reason they are called city-states.
Mesopotamia was not an easy place to live. The Northern part of this region was very hilly & often received rain. The Southern part was low plains, or flat land. The sun beat down on the plains & they received little rain. Mesopotamians faced four major problems while trying to survive in this environment. These problems included things like: Food shortages in the hills, uncontrolled water supply on the plains, difficulties in building & maintaining irrigation systems to serve the needs of several villages at once, & attacks by neighboring communities.
Although the Mesopotamians faced these tough problems, overtime they found solutions to these situations.
Food Shortages in the Hills~ Scientists believe that by 500 B.C.E. farmers in the Zagros foothills did not have enough land to grow food for the increasing number of citizens. Soon villages began to suffer from food shortages.
Below the foothills to the South, the two rivers, Tigris & Euphrates ran through flat plains. The plains covered a large area that nobody lived in. The land was very hard & dry. Although the plains lacked things like trees & stones for making shelter & tools, they still held hope. In the spring time the rivers flooded the plains, filling it with water. Driven by the need for food, people soon began to move out of the foothills & onto the plains. This region became known as Sumer, & the people living there were called Sumerians.
Uncontrolled Water Supply in the River Valley~ One of the biggest problems the farmers in Sumer faced was the uncontrolled water supply. During the spring time, the rain melted the snow from the mountains & flowed into the rivers. This caused flooding across the plains. No one was sure when the floods would come. If a flood came after a farmer had planted, their plants would be washed away. For most of the year, the soil was dry & hard. Hot, strong winds blew thick layers of dust across the ground. With such dramatic season change, farmers struggled to maintain & raise crops. They either had to little or too many. In order to succeed in growing food, farmers would have to find a way to control the water so they could have a reliable crop source all year round.
Sumerian farmers began to build irrigation systems to provide water for their crop fields. They also built levees along the sides of the river to prevent flooding. Instead of letting the land flood again, when it was dry the farmers would poke holes through the levees so the water could flow & water the dry fields.
They also dug canals to shape the paths the water took. The constructed dams along the river to block the water & force it to collect in pools the had also built. They stored the water in reservoirs for later use.
Difficulty in Building & Maintaining Irrigation Systems~ Irrigation Systems provided water for the Sumerians to grow food. Although this was a great solution to a previous problem, another situation arose from this. The irrigation system passed through village boundaries as it carried water to the fields. This system had to constantly be maintained. The canals the farmers had built had to be cleaned out regularly as they became clogged with silt. Since the canals had to be cleaned out regularly, they could no longer live apart or in small groups. They were connected for miles around the canals, & the had to work together.
Workers from different villages worked together. The scooped water from one reservoir to another to balance out the water levels.
As the Sumerains worked together, they began to create larger communities. Villages grew into towns & some towns in Sumer became large cities with a large population.
Attacks from Neighboring Communities~ As the cities in Sumer grew, the Sumerians began to fight over the right to use more water. Some cities closer to where the river begins, built new or blocked other cities' canals. This kept water from reaching the cities that were towards the end of the river. This became a major controversy. Fight over the water became so intense that it let to killing & bloodshed. The plains provided no natural barriers fro protection. The Sumerians began to look for other ways to protect their cities.
Sumerians began to build strong walls around their cities. These walls were made of mud bricks that were baked in the sun until they were hard. They also dug moats outside the city walls to prevent the enemies from entering the inner city.
Mesopotamia was not an easy place to live. The Northern part of this region was very hilly & often received rain. The Southern part was low plains, or flat land. The sun beat down on the plains & they received little rain. Mesopotamians faced four major problems while trying to survive in this environment. These problems included things like: Food shortages in the hills, uncontrolled water supply on the plains, difficulties in building & maintaining irrigation systems to serve the needs of several villages at once, & attacks by neighboring communities.
Although the Mesopotamians faced these tough problems, overtime they found solutions to these situations.
Food Shortages in the Hills~ Scientists believe that by 500 B.C.E. farmers in the Zagros foothills did not have enough land to grow food for the increasing number of citizens. Soon villages began to suffer from food shortages.
Below the foothills to the South, the two rivers, Tigris & Euphrates ran through flat plains. The plains covered a large area that nobody lived in. The land was very hard & dry. Although the plains lacked things like trees & stones for making shelter & tools, they still held hope. In the spring time the rivers flooded the plains, filling it with water. Driven by the need for food, people soon began to move out of the foothills & onto the plains. This region became known as Sumer, & the people living there were called Sumerians.
Uncontrolled Water Supply in the River Valley~ One of the biggest problems the farmers in Sumer faced was the uncontrolled water supply. During the spring time, the rain melted the snow from the mountains & flowed into the rivers. This caused flooding across the plains. No one was sure when the floods would come. If a flood came after a farmer had planted, their plants would be washed away. For most of the year, the soil was dry & hard. Hot, strong winds blew thick layers of dust across the ground. With such dramatic season change, farmers struggled to maintain & raise crops. They either had to little or too many. In order to succeed in growing food, farmers would have to find a way to control the water so they could have a reliable crop source all year round.
Sumerian farmers began to build irrigation systems to provide water for their crop fields. They also built levees along the sides of the river to prevent flooding. Instead of letting the land flood again, when it was dry the farmers would poke holes through the levees so the water could flow & water the dry fields.
They also dug canals to shape the paths the water took. The constructed dams along the river to block the water & force it to collect in pools the had also built. They stored the water in reservoirs for later use.
Difficulty in Building & Maintaining Irrigation Systems~ Irrigation Systems provided water for the Sumerians to grow food. Although this was a great solution to a previous problem, another situation arose from this. The irrigation system passed through village boundaries as it carried water to the fields. This system had to constantly be maintained. The canals the farmers had built had to be cleaned out regularly as they became clogged with silt. Since the canals had to be cleaned out regularly, they could no longer live apart or in small groups. They were connected for miles around the canals, & the had to work together.
Workers from different villages worked together. The scooped water from one reservoir to another to balance out the water levels.
As the Sumerains worked together, they began to create larger communities. Villages grew into towns & some towns in Sumer became large cities with a large population.
Attacks from Neighboring Communities~ As the cities in Sumer grew, the Sumerians began to fight over the right to use more water. Some cities closer to where the river begins, built new or blocked other cities' canals. This kept water from reaching the cities that were towards the end of the river. This became a major controversy. Fight over the water became so intense that it let to killing & bloodshed. The plains provided no natural barriers fro protection. The Sumerians began to look for other ways to protect their cities.
Sumerians began to build strong walls around their cities. These walls were made of mud bricks that were baked in the sun until they were hard. They also dug moats outside the city walls to prevent the enemies from entering the inner city.