ANCIENT MESOPOTAMIAN CIVILIZATION

CATEGORY
1. POLITICAL SYSTEM

DESCRIPTION
Organization:
consisted of a series of "city-states"--independent cities
not belonging to a large political entity, along with their
adjacent "sphere of influence
these city-states were often at war with one another, as one king or
another attempted to increase the size of their sphere of influence-or attempted to obtain a ready supply of some needed material that
was becoming scarce.
Political leader:
kings that ruled in these "city-states"--as we have come to
call them--only ruled in their own cities and the hinterland
that immediately surrounded the city.

2. SOCIAL STRUCTURE

How it is developed?
There is 2 distinct region in Mesopotamia which varies in
geography:
a. Northern Mesopotamia is made up of hills and plain.
b. Southern part was composed of flat and barren plains.
Due to the unfavorable flood timing, the floodwater used
to return to the rivers just before the summer and so the
Mesopotamians had to rely on the artificial irrigation
systems.
The artificial irrigation system led to social stratification

3. SOCIAL CLASS

and the formation of different communities.

3 Major Social Group:
1. Nobles - many of the royal and religious officials
2. Commoners - worked for palace and temple domain, they
also worked as farmers, merchants, and crafts people
3. Slaves - worked in building buildings and also belonged to
the palace officials

4. ECONOMY/TRADE
SYSTEM

The Sumerian city-states was based on farming and trade

Since Tigris and Euphrates rivers make the soil fertile the
people who settled in villages in the area were able to

successfully develop agriculture.

People start performing other activities besides growing

food such as crafts making and trading.

metalwork, woolen textiles, and pottery
Copper, tin, and timber were imported goods exchanged
for dried fish, wool, wheat, and metal goods
5. TECHNOLOGIES

6. KNOWLEDGE/
INVENTIONS/WRITINGS

Writing system
Number system
First wheeled vehicles
Irrigation systems
Boats
Calendar
invention of the earliest known system of writing
Enuma Elish and Gilgamesh are examples of great

religious literature
Code of Hammurabi is one of the greatest early examples
7. RELIGIOUS BELIEFS

of juridical literature
What they believed?
The Sumerians believed in divine order, that is, everything
that occurs is preplanned by the gods
Religious practices:
Everyone was expected to sing hymns, say prayers, make
sacrifices and bring offerings to the local temple (ziggurat)
for the gods
Gods:
1.
2.
3.
4.

An - the god of heaven

Enlil - the air-god
Enki - the water-god
Ninhursag - the mother earth-goddess
Each of these gods created lesser gods who were also

important in Mesopotamia
a) Utu, the sun-god
b) Nanna was the moon-god
8. ART AND
ARCHITECTURE

Art
Mainly showpeople and animals.
known for being small scaled.
Animals frequently used for symbolism.
Religious temples & elaborate tombs.
Pottery was a useful form of art.
Buildings/Structures
Temple of ziggurat (temple dedicated to the gods and

goddesses of the city) and was built atop a massive

9. RIVER SYSTEM

stepped tower
Housing were built by sun-dried bricks
Tigris and Euphrates rivers:
It was the two rivers that became the basis upon which the
wealth of the region
There was never a regular supply of water in Mesopotamia
but the soil was so enriched over the years by the layers of

10. CITY-STATE

silt which is material deposited by the two rivers

Each city-state had its own government. The first leaders
were the priests, and the center of the government and
religion was a temple called ziggurat. Later due to
constant wars army commanders became the rulers of
these city-states.
The five "first" cities said to have exercised predynastic kingship:
1. Eridu (Tell Abu Shahrain)
2. Bad-tibira (probably Tell al-Madain)
3. Larsa (Tell as-Senkereh)
4. Sippar (Tell Abu Habbah)
5. Shuruppak (Tell Fara)
Other principal cities:
Uruk (Warka); Kish (Tell Uheimir & Ingharra); Ur (Tell alMuqayyar); Nippur (Afak); Lagash (Tell al-Hiba); Girsu (Tello or
Telloh); Umma (Tell Jokha); Hamazi ; Adab (Tell Bismaya):
Mari (Tell Hariri) ;Akshak ; Akkad; Isin (Ishan al-Bahriyat)

References:
http://www.rivervalleycivilizations.com/tigris-euphrates.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sumer

http://worldhistoryto1500.blogspot.com/2010/09/political-organization-of-mesopotamia.html