Social Classes
- [1] Upper Class. The leader of the community was the king. He had a special connection to the gods. ...
- [2] Middle Class. A small middle class existed. ...
- [3] Lower Class. Lower classes were made up of such people as laborers, farmers, soldiers, and sailors. ...
- [4] Slaves. The lowest class were slaves. ...
How are the social classes of Sumer organized?
Sumerian societies were strictly organized into a class-based structure, with kings and priests ruling at the top. These figures used a mixture of political and religious authority to control society and maintain order over their complex urban civilizations.
What are the four classes of Sumerian society?
… These classes included:
- The upper class.
- The middle class.
- The lower class.
What were the different social classes in Mesopotamia?
- King
- Priests
- Scribes
- Merchants & Artisans
- Commoners
- Slaves
What were the levels of social hierarchy in Sumerian society?
The tree levels of sumerian society are Upper class (contained nobles, priests, government officials and warriors), Free man Class (Merchants traders and artisans, and slavery. What metal did Sumerians learn to use?
What is the Sumerian civilization known for?
Sumerian civilization is known for being the first major society of the Mesopotamian region within the Fertile Crescent. The civilization is known...
What are some characteristics of Sumerian society?
Sumerian society was considered very advanced for its time. Sumer had developed systems of social hierarchy, writing, arts, architecture, religion,...
How was Sumerian society structured?
Sumerian society was broken down into various social classes. At the top was the ruling class, then the upper, middle, working, and enslaved classes.
What was the upper class in Sumer?
The upper class, as the name suggests was the highest ranking class among the Sumerians after the Priests and was the class of people who were rich, wealthy and powerful. The upper class owned the maximum money and were respected by all.
What was the Sumerians' lifestyle?
As a whole, the Sumerians were a rich and wealthy lot who had abundance of food, wealth, resources and led a comfortable life .
What were the social classes of Sumer?
There are four major social classes among the Sumers and they were given as follows: The priest. The upper class. The middle or Freeman class. The slaves.
What were the priests responsible for?
The priests were responsible for keeping the Gods happy and told people how to conduct themselves. They were also the local doctors who cured people of the many diseases and ailments.
What is the middle class?
The Middle Class or the Freeman Class. The next class was the class of the freeman. The people who belonged to this class were involved in high paying jobs but were not as affluent, rich or powerful as the upper class. This class mainly consisted or traders, merchants and the artisans who earned as per their skill in business, ...
Which class came at the bottom of the pyramid?
The class which came at the bottom of the pyramid was the class of the slaves . The slaves were owned by the upper class people and were given this status as punishment for the crimes committed by them.
What was the role of the Mushkenu in Babylonia?
Basically the Mushkenu were free people of low esteem and they could be abridged to slavery as a punishment for some crime committed by them. The parents might even trade their children as slaves in time of need. The Wardu or slaves were at the bottom end of the social hierarchy structure of Babylonia.
What was the top class in the social hierarchy of ancient Babylonia?
Although the class arrangement was unyielding, there were few possibilities of movementfrom one level to the other in social structure was existing. Awilu. The Awilu was the top most class in the social hierarchy of ancient Babylonia.
What were the commoners in Sumerian society?
Commoners were usually people that owned smaller amounts of land and mostly worked in jobs like, Fishermen, craftsmen and merchants. This class made up a large part of Sumerian society.
What were the most common jobs in Sumerian folk?
sumerian job SPECIALIZATION. The Sumerian job specialization was very clearly strutured in one direction of work. The most common jobs in Sumerian folk was: craftsman specialization including stone cutters, metal smiths, fisherman, weavers, sailors, bricklayers, farmers, shepherds and leather-workers. They invented the wheel to make their chariots ...
Why did the Mushkenu sell their family members as slaves?
Among the Mushkenu, a man could sell his family members as slaves in order to pay back his debts.
What were the social classes in Sumer?
The groups were based welth, ownership, work, land and position of hirachy. The groups of social classes where four different also called the "four levels of class", the different types of classes were: nobles, commoners, clients and slaves.
What is the noble class?
Nobles. The nobles were the elite if social class they were often included in area of ruling an empire or having family members attend. The nobles were often people with jobs like rulers, priests, warriors and families who owned large areas of land and were usually very wealthy. Commoners.
What was the difference between Sumerians and kings?
Common Sumerians remained illiterate and without power, while kings, once elected by common people, became monarchs. The monarchs were viewed as agents of and responsible to the gods. It was the religious duty of his subjects to accept his rule as a part of the plan of the gods.
What were the materials that Sumerians used?
Mud, clay, and reeds were the only materials the Sumerians had in abundance. Trade was therefore necessary to supply the city workers with materials. Merchants went out in overland caravans or in ships to exchange the products of Sumerian industry for wood, stone, and metals. There are indications that Sumerian sailing vessels even reached the valley of the Indus River in India. The chief route, however, was around the Fertile Crescent, between the Arabian Desert and the northern mountains. This route led up the valley of the two rivers, westward to Syria, and down the Mediterranean coast.
What was the effort of the Sumerians?
Another individual effort was commerce, and with a growth in commerce the Sumerians had begun using money, which made individual wealth more easily measured and stored. Commerce required initiative, imagination, an ability to get along with people and luck, and, of course, some merchants were more successful than were others.
What were the materials that Sumerians used to make weapons?
Before 3000 BC the Sumerians had learned to make tools and weapons by smelting copper with tin to make bronze, a much harder metal than copper alone. Mud, clay, and reeds were the only materials the Sumerians had in abundance.
What was the division of wealth among the Sumerians?
Accompanying divisions in wealth was a division in power, and power among the Sumerians passed to an elite. Sumerian priests who had once worked the fields alongside others, soon were separated from commoners. A corporation run by priests became the greatest landowners among the Sumerians.
How many kings were there in Sumer?
According to one of the earliest historical documents, the Sumerian King List, eight kings of Sumer reigned before the famous flood. Afterwards various city-states by turns became the temporary seat of power until about 2800 BC, when they were united under the rule of one king--Etana of Kish.
What happens when farmers fail to harvest enough?
Those farmers who failed to harvest enough to keep themselves in food and seed borrowed from those who had wealth in surplus. Those who borrowed hoped that their next harvest would give them the surplus they needed to repay their loan. But if the next harvest were also inadequate, to meet their obligations they might be forced to surrender their lands to the lender or to work for him. When Sumerians lost their land, they or their descendants might become sharecroppers: working the lands of successful landowners in exchange for giving the landowners a good portion of the crops they grew.
What is the most developed period of Sumerian history?
The most developed periods of Sumerian history begin three millennia before Christ, and are the following: Uruk, the early dynasty, the Akkadian empire and the third dynasty of Ur.
How were the Sumerians categorized?
The Sumerians have been categorized historically by different stages that govern by the governing dynasty, and the advances and social developments that they underwent. However, the periods prior to the consolidation of the Sumerians as a civilization are also studied, which can be traced back a few millennia later.
Why did the Sumerian civilization end?
The Sumerian civilization would see its end a few centuries later. Among its causes are the increase in the salinity of the lands , making difficult the abundant agriculture that gave them sustenance.
How is Sumerian history broken down?
Sumerian history is broken down from the main dynasties of power and dynamics existing in the great cities of the region. The vestiges left behind by the Sumerians have also allowed to create an entire imaginary around expressive forms, thus reconstructing the mythology of that time.
Why did the Sumerians build their temples with clay?
Due to the natural absence of trees in the vicinity of the Euphrates and Tigris rivers, the buildings erected by the Sumerians consisted only of clay bricks. Although it was an effective method, the temples, houses and buildings constructed with this material deteriorated quickly.
What was the Semitic influence in the Sumer?
The Semitic influence within the cities began to occupy positions of power and different courses, that did not help that the sumer condition was perpetuated. The use of Sumerian language was increasingly limited, becoming classified as a priestly language.
What is the Sumerian history?
The study of Sumerian history over the years has allowed us to discover qualities that have marked the life of man in society, as well as the elements that make up an organized and functional civilization. Sumerian history is broken down from the main dynasties of power and dynamics existing in the great cities of the region.
What were the social classes in Mesopotamia?
Ancient Mesopotamia Social Classes. The whole of Mesopotamia was divided into two parts – Northern Mesopotamia and Southern Mesopotamia. The Sumerians ruled the Southern part whereas the Akkadians ruled the Northern region. People living in both parts were categorized in a hierarchy based on their social class.
Why were the Scribes placed in the upper class?
The scribes were qualified, intelligent, and highly skilled people. They were placed in the upper class for these qualities and also for working for the King. The Scribes wrote the cuneiform after many years of dedication.
What category did the priest and the priestess belong to?
The Priest and the Priestess belonged to the next categories after royalty. They had equal honour and power as royalty.
What is the upper class in Sumer?
The Upper Class: Scribes, Military men, and Merchants. The Lower Class: Farmers, musicians, builders. The Lowest Class: Social Class categorization in Sumer and Akkad city-state: Sumerians: Akkadians: This category included the King of a city-state, an empire, or a region.
Why were people advised to serve good and follow the rules placed by the gods?
Doing so they would please the gods and be blessed with favourable climate and less hardship. Besides being the mediator, they were also the doctors and the dentists of the ancient civilization.
What did the scribes do?
They treated and served as the healers to the deceased whenever necessary. They could also interpret the signs and omens, as they were the literate ones. In addition to this, they also carried out the sacred duties, which included baptism, confession, holy orders, and marriage.
How many social classes were there in Sumer?
There were a total of four social classes under the city-state of Sumer. They were: The King, the priest, the middle class, and the slaves. The King was the ruler of the region. He acted as the direct link between the gods and the people.
Why is Mesopotamia called the cradle of civilization?
It is known as the “cradle of civilization” because the first cities were formed there. Cities made life more complicated, including a complex social life. Let’s travel back in time and take a look.
What were the other wealthy and powerful positions?
Other wealthy and powerful positions were scribes (few people knew how to read and write) and those with various high level governmental positions.
What was the lowest class of people in Mesopotamia?
The lowest class were slaves . Mesopotamian slave s were not of any specific race or ethnicity. People could become slaves in a variety of ways: prisoners of war, payment of debts, punishment for a crime (compare: the Thirteenth Amendment ), and being kidnapped to sold into slavery.
What were the jobs of slaves?
They often had the hardest job, such as building roads and temples. There were some more educated slaves who taught or did jobs such as jewelry making and accounting. Slaves could also have special responsibilities, such as running a household. They had diverse roles.
Why did the rich have slaves?
The more wealthy often had slaves to serve their entertainment needs. The rich had many large feasts. But, others could enjoy music as well, even, without even having iTunes!
What were women expected to do after puberty?
Shortly after puberty, a girl’s father arranged a marriage for her. Women were expected to do the household tasks such as raising children, cleaning, cooking and weaving.
What would the poor not be able to afford?
The poor might not be able to afford things like wooden beds and slept on mats on the floor.
