Please enable JavaScript.
Coggle requires JavaScript to display documents.
Mesopotamian Civilization - Coggle Diagram
Mesopotamian Civilization
Settlements
I lasted from 3500 BCE to 600 BCE
Introduced the first towns
It was during the Chalcolithic age and it had small cities
Architecture
Not well planed but followed a uniform pattern
They built canals and dams to control the water
They built Ziggurats in the middle of each town to honor the main god of the city
Agriculture and Occupation
They planted wheat barley, dates, and vegetables like onions, cucumbers, apples and spices
There were priests, scribe, merchant, craftsman, soldier, civil
servant, or laborer too.
Government
Each city had its own independent government ruled by a king who controlled and the surrounding farmland.
It is a combination of a monarchy and democracy
Kings ruled the people
‘The Code of Hammurabi’ the Babylonian law code was one of the oldest recorded codes of laws in the world.
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
Social class
Wealthy such as high administrators and scribes were next
Middle class was made up of merchants, craftsmen, civil servants etc.
Priests were near the top as well
The lower class was made up of laborers and farmers who lived a harder life
At the top were the king and his family
At the bottom were the slaves. Slaves were owned by the king and were captured in battles
System of writing
They developed the first form of writing - Cuneiform
They used it to keep track of business transactions, ownership rights and government records
They inscribed the pictures on clay tablets
Symbols were made with wedge shaped marks on clay tablets.
Economy
Based on agriculture
Did not have many natural resources
Sumerians needed to trade with neighboring countries in order to acquire the resources they needed to live
Religion
Worshiped many different gods and goddesses
Influenced much of of what happened to them in life
Their gods often had human characteristics
Art
They were not very good at huge stone sculptures.
They made beautiful pottery from wet soil that their pottery became a form of wealth, which was also traded
They were wonderful craftsmen and made jewelry of precious gold, fancy chairs, and unglazed vases that kept water cool
They also created works of art meant to glorify the gods.