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CIVILIZATION, Ancient Mesopotamia is called the cradle and, graveyard of…
CIVILIZATION
INTRODUCTION
SETTLEMENTS
ARCHITECTURE
They formed the first towns and
Agriculture and other occupation
GOVERNMENT
SOCIAL CLASS
battle.
MESOPOTAMIA
Ancient Mesopotamia is called the cradle and
graveyard of civilization. The word Mesopotamia
means "the land between rivers" - land in the
Middle East between and around the Tigris and
Euphrates Rivers.
They formed the first towns and
cities in 5000 BC. It did not have natural
protective barriers. Early settlers in Mesopotamia started together in small villages and towns during the
Chalcolithic Age.
cities in 5000 BC. It did not have natural
protective barriers. Early settlers in Mesopotamia started together in small villages and towns during the
Chalcolithic Age.
They planted wheat, barley, dates, and vegetables including
cucumbers, onions, apples, and spices. There were priests, scribe, merchant, craftsman, soldier, civil
servant, or laborer too.
Each city had its own independent government ruled by a king that controlled the city and
the surrounding farmland. The ancient Mesopotamians created a government that was a combination of
monarchy and democracy. Kings ruled the people. Law held a special place in their civilization.
Sumerian laws were not written down, but people knew what they were and they knew what could
happen to you if you broke the law. ‘The Code of Hammurabi’ the Babylonian law code was written
down on clay tablets and etched into stone. It is one of the oldest recorded codes of laws in the world.
At the top of society was the king and his family. The priests were considered near the
top as well. The rest of the upper class was made up of the wealthy such as high level administrators
and scribes. Below the upper class was a small middle class made up of craftsman, merchants, and civil
servants. The lower class was made up of laborers and farmers. These people lived a harder life, but
could still work their way up with hard work. At the bottom were the slaves. Slaves were owned by the
king or bought and sold among the upper class. Slaves were usually people who were captured in