Culture and Society in Ancient

Mesopotamia

"The Walls of Babylon and the Temple of Bel (Or Babel)," by 19th-century illustrator William Simpson. Influenced by early

archaeological investigations. From Wikimedia.

Mesopotamia was an ancient area in the Middle East. Today, most of it is located in the

country of Iraq.

The word Mesopotamia comes from a Greek word meaning "between two rivers." Those are

the Tigris and the Euphrates rivers. The land was later known as the Fertile Crescent by

historians, as its soil was good for farming.

By Ancient History Encyclopedia, adapted by Newsela staff on 07.25.17

Word Count 901

Level 810L

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Those were not their only inventions. Mesopotamian people are also said to have invented the

wheel, the farming of animals, farming, tools, weapons, the chariot, wine, beer and sailboats.

Archaeologists have found settlements from 10,000 B.C. in Mesopotamia. These show that

the fertile land allowed people to settle in and start farming. Trade soon followed and

settlements grew into the first cities. It is generally thought that writing was invented due to

of spirits.

The world began, they believed, when the gods defeated the forces of chaos and disorder.

But, even though the gods had won, this did not mean chaos could not come again. The

people of Mesopotamia wanted to keep the gods happy so the world would stay balanced. To

do this, they followed daily routines, said prayers, and made sure to bury the dead properly.

They were taught to respect the gods in the work they did every day.

Jobs

Men and women both worked in Mesopotamia, and most were involved in farming. Others

were healers, weavers, potters, shoemakers, teachers and priests or priestesses. The highest

positions in society were kings and military officers.

Buildings and government

Mesopotamia gave birth to the world’s first cities. The land did not have trees. So,

buildings were mostly made of soil, which was dried in the sun and turned into bricks. With the

bricks, the Mesopotamians created the world’s first columns, arches and roofs.

A temple was usually at the center of every Mesopotamian city. Cities and temples were

famous for their ziggurats. These were pyramids built in layers of steps.

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The gods were thought to be watching over any building project. It was important to carefully

say prayers to the right gods to make sure building was successful.

The first king came into power at some point after 3600 B.C. The king worked directly with the

people and made the laws himself.

Before the first kings, priests were rulers. They were believed to have gotten messages from

the gods to make laws. Soon, the king was also believed to be speaking with the gods, and

able to know their wishes.

Rebel king

not the true king.

Mesopotamia had so many different peoples and ideas. A single ruler would have trouble

trying to please everyone — people would disagree with him often.

Legacy

The influence of Mesopotamia lives on today. The idea of 60 seconds being in a minute, and

60 minutes in an hour, was invented by Mesopotamians.

Priests were always watching for special events happening in nature. These were seen as

signs from the gods — they said if a community was doing good or bad.

The Sumerians, an old Mesopotamian group, believed that each god was represented by a

number. The number 60 was sacred to the god An. This number was used often back then.

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