Ancient Mesopotamia

I was marveled to see the region of Mesopotamia, its rich history and impact it had on the civilization to come. Mesopotamia basically is not a country; it is a region which lies between the rivers the Euphrates and Tigris Rivers, and its area is almost the same as modern Iraq.

I was amazed to learn that the people of Mesopotamia began the agricultural revolution. They domesticate plants and sheep instead of depending on hunting for their subsistence. They live in groups in form of small villages, where houses are built from mud-bricks or reeds and they tend their crops. They store their grain in built granaries, and they have a developed token system through which they record trade and accounts. As remarkable organizing ability is required to manage huge states, therefore, it is not unusual in Mesopotamia to prepare accounts for thousands of cattle’s or tens of thousands of bundles of reeds. Since the people of Mesopotamia live together and have established agriculture system enabling them to store foods, a lot of time which was earlier spent on hunting is saved. This extra time enables them to focus on creating and inventing new tools which helps in their daily lives making it easier. One of their greatest invention is the wheel which in turn helps them to establish trade as moving things between places has become little easier now.

The social structure of Mesopotamia is segregated and is divided in to mainly three levels. At the top are the most powerful government officials, priests and soldiers. The middle class comprises of teachers, merchants, laborers craftsman, and farmers and the slaves and peasants lie at the bottom level. Though slaves are at the bottom level of social structure but generally they are treated well and can be easily identified by their specific haircut. Slaves have no rights and are generally owned by wealthy merchants. Slaves are obtained as prisoners of wars or people who could not pay debts. The pinnacle of their social order is the King. They are believed to be the ‘divinely ordained humans’, as believed by Sumerians, or literal ‘gods on earth’ as Assyrians believe. The word of the King cannot be questioned and is considered as law.

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