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Social structure of Mesopotamia and Egypt
Social structure of Mesopotamia and Egypt
Mesopotamia civilization ap world history quizlet
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Social organization allows for civilizations to thrive. It creates an essential building block for civilizations to grow off of. It is so important that social structure is one of the seven qualities that make a civilization, a civilization. But, how did this separation of the classes come about? It started in Neolithic times when people stopped hunting and gathering. Groups of people would settle down somewhere, and each person would have a different duty to fulfill. We begin to see many advancements during this historical period. Without this structure, golden ages couldn’t occur. A golden age is “the most flourishing period in the history of a nation” (Dictionary.com). Without social organization, civilizations cannot flourish because they don’t have the fundamental structure that they need. Social organization is necessary for a civilization to have a success by creating different duties to be fulfilled and better the society as a whole. Mesopotamia was one of the first civilizations to have social organization. Sumer was one of the first city states in Mesopotamia. At the top of the social pyramid was the king, who was thought to be chosen by the gods. Then came the religious figures, scribes and merchants, artists and craftsmen, and at the bottom, workers, soldiers, farmers, and slaves. This can be seen on the Standard of Ur. Standard of Ur was found in 1922 and is 4,500 years old. It is theorized to be a standard or the sound box of a musical instrument. There are two sides; one represents “War” and the other “Peace”. One these sides, we can see their social organization based on the size and order of the people. The king is bigger and at the top and center; poorer, skinner people are on the left. Sumer had many succes... ... middle of paper ... ...ay. Works Cited Assyrian relief sculpture panel of Ashurnasirpal lion hunting. From Nineveh North Palace, Iraq, 668-627 B.C. British Museum Assyrian Archaeological exhibit. Digital image. Funky Stock Photos. Web. . Royal Road. Digital image. Wikipedia. Wikimedia. Web. . Silk Route. Digital image. Wikipedia. Wikimedia. Web. 15 May 2014. . "SOCIAL ORDER." PBS. PBS, 2006. Web. 30 Apr. 2014. Standard of Ur. Digital image. Wikipedia. Wikimedia. Web. 14 May 2014. . "Tour Egypt :: Egypt: The Palermo Stone." Egypt: The Palermo Stone. Web. 15 May 2014. .
"Human-headed Winged Lion (lamassu) [Excavated at Nimrud (ancient Kalhu), Northern Mesopotamia] (32.143.2) | Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History | The Metropolitan Museum of Art." The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York: Metmuseum.org. Web. 04 Mar. 2010. .
This distinction of an equal society was important to the growing territory that was Mesopotamia. It allowed each person to feel important to their community because they were not lorded over by a superior class. Also, the sheer amount of different bands of people that made up the initial Mesopotamian society dictated that no distinction between origin or rac...
In conclusion, it was the shape of the Nile, the promotion for goods, and harmonic style of government, led by pharaoh that formed Egypt into a more politically unified society. For Mesopotamia, it was the unpredictable Tigris and Euphrates, the money hungry tax routes, and the independence of powerful rulers that made Mesopotamia into a place where being politically divided could threaten the existence of society. Even though both states shared a common goal to overcome the hardships in running a state, it was the people from both states that determined the unity of their state. I think the catchphrase, “United we stand, divided we fall,” is the thing for a society to remember in order to be more unified.
Mesopotamian society was stratified into classes and social differences. It was composed of nobles, free clients of the nobility, commoners and slaves. Slave women participated in the textile industry. Free women did exist, however, men dominated the women in Mesopotamia. The nobles consisted of the king, his family, the chief priests, and high palace officials. The king was a war leader elected by the citizens. He established an army and led it into battle. Kingship was hereditary. Commoners were free citizens.
While categorizing individuals by race, class, or occupation seem wrong, in reality it provide structure and organization to any society. The cultures of Hindu India, Medieval Europe, and Mesoamerica used social class for those exact reasons. Hindu India used race and occupation to divide their people into 4 main Varna’s. Medieval Europe relied on the church and the estates to provide a flexabile yet strong social pyramid. Finally, Mesoamerica and the Andean regions used religion, family ties, and the poor workforce to emphize the importance of their social structure. No matter what the civilization or culture, people have naturally or forcefully divided themselves into organized social structures and will continue to do so for future civilizations.
Scott, N. The Daily Life of the Ancient Egyptians. The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, New Series, Vol. 31, No. 3, The Daily Life of the Ancient Egyptians (Spring, 1973), pp. 123-170
Malek, Jaromir. The Cat in Ancient Egypt. London: British Museum Press for the Trustees of the British Museum, 1993. 73-92. Print.
A consistent characteristic among the first civilizations was social stratification. In most of the first civilizations, social hierarchies included kings, the elites, the working class, and slaves. Social stratification was evident in the Mesopotamian and Egyptian societies based off of the documents from the Babylonian Empire, The Law Code of Hammurabi, and the Egyptian student text, Be a Scribe. In the document The Law Code of Hammurabi, soldiers, farmers, salves, and other jobs are mentioned (96-97). In the document Be a Scribe, farmers, cobblers, soldiers, and various other jobs are mentioned (100-101). It is significant that these jobs are mentioned in both documents because it illustrates the similarities in these civilization’s social hierarchies. But, the similarities in their social structures do not end there. Special treatment based off of social standing was a consistent factor in both of these civilizations as well. This is clearly exemplified in Mesopotamia with the harshness of punishments for crimes being dependent on class (97). In Egypt, evidence of special treatment based off of social stratification is insinuated in the document Be a Scribe. This document delves into the negatives of having low class jobs and encourages people to become educated to grow in class rank (101). Despite these similarities, these two civilizations still held vastly different values and
Millions of years ago the procreant low lands in the river basins of Euphrates and Tigris was probably the home of some animal life, but no great civilizations. However, things change over time, and just a few thousand years ago the same fertile low lands in the river basins of Euphrates and Tigris became the home of a very rich and complex society. This first high society of man was located in what some still call "Mesopotamia". The word "Mesopotamia" is in origin a Greek name meaning "land between the rivers." The name is used for the area watered by the Euphrates and Tigris and its tributaries, roughly comprising modern Iraq and part of Syria. South of modern Bagdad, this alluvial plain was called the land of Sumer and Akkad. Sumer is the most southern part, while the land of Akkad is the area around modern Bagdad, where the Euphrates and Tigris are closest to each other. This first high, Mesopotamian society arose as a combined result of various historical, institutional, and religious factors. The reality of these factors occurring at a specific place within the fabric of space / time indeed established the basis for this first high civilization. Items like irrigation, topography, and bronze-age technical innovations played a big part along with the advent of writing and the practice of social conditioning (through the use of organized religion) in this relatively early achievement of man.
Social status was everything in the Mesopotamia. Presently, social status depends on how much money you have. However, in ancient times, social status depended on occupation. This explains why the king and the royal family was often at the top of the social hierarchy. Enkidu’s social status even elevated after he fought Gilgamesh, as they began to view each other as brothers.
Social structure is created by the distribution of wealth, power and prestige. The social structure consists of taken for granted beliefs about the world and both constrain and regulate human actions. The social structure consists of substructures such as class, gender and ethnicity. These groups are formed within society; each group shares common attitudes, values, social norms, lifestyle and material goods. People within society stay within the guidelines of the soc...
The constructions of the temple-palace had large scale implications for the Mesopotamian landscape. It served as a symbolic entity for the city and towns that it was located in due to the tremendous height of these buildings that served as beacons that loomed over villages. These temples were perceived by many individuals who resided in these villages as homes for the deities. A wide cross section of villagers from various social backgrounds belonged to a particular temple in which they would worship. “The temple community comprised a cross section of the population: officials, priests, merchants, craftsmen, food-producers and slaves.” (174 Temple-Palace) Due to the great spiritual investment that was placed within these temples it prompted much time and labor to be invested into their construction. These temples also served as an outlet in which to take care of underprivileged citizens who were poor, orphaned or physically incapable of earning a living. Besides the fact that these temples provided support to the community it also supported the government sector as well. “The activities of the temple coordinated the construction of irrigation canals that often involved the cooperation of several communities.” (174 Temple-Palace) The temple-palace served a variety of integral roles to the villages and cities located within Mesopotamia. Temples intially did not immediately serve all these features within communities in Mesopotamia. Through examining specific periods on the Mesopotamian plain we will further understand how the temple-palaces evolved over the centuries within Mesopotamia and how they eventually became centralized within the community.
Weeks, Kent R., and Nigel J. Hetherington. "The Valley of the Kings, Luxor, Egypt Site
The rise of the Uruk state is the most important phenomenon that happened in the universe. Known as the very first recorded city in time, in the Sumer region, it was the largest society of its generation. It was about thirty-two hectares in size with approximately twenty-five thousand inhabitants. In it were smaller centers including Eridu, Kish, and Ur. Eridu was rapidly approaching urbanism. During the Uruk period (between 3500 to 3100 B.C.) a 4-tiered settlement hierarchy arose. This well-organized hierarchy included a 1st order in respect to polity capital, a 2nd order to regional capital, a 3rd order to local capital, and a 4th order for non-administrative communities. The important factors of the emerging of the Uruk state were material conditions such as agriculture, trade, and competition for resources. This then led Uruk to become the center hub for politics and religion.
Richardson, Seth. "An Assyrian Garden of Ancestors: Room I, Northwest Palace, Kalhu." State Archives of Assyria Bulletin 13 (1999): 145-216.