DAILY LIFE IN MESOPOTAMIA ( STARTING WITH SUMER)

Ancient Mesopotamia

WHY DID PEOPLE DECIDE TO SETTLE IN MESOPOTAMIA?

The area was an abundant source of water, fish, game, grain and fruits

The Euphrates and Tigris rivers provided fertile land for people to begin farming grains and vegetables (so there was no more need to travel to your food source when you could just grow it by yourself)

This also led to the domestication of animals – cattle, goats, sheep, etc.

WHY WAS THE ABILITY TO FARM SO IMPORTANT?

The land closest to the rivers was the most fertile, so the closer you were to the water, the more wealthy you were the formation of social classes

More readily available food sources an increase in population

Farming was very successful on the fertile land, so that freed up other people to do other jobs like becoming craftsmen, merchants, and labourers

Eventually villages or towns became self-sufficient (able to take care of themselves) so city-states were formed this “urbanization” meant that religion, law, art, literature and science became important to daily life.

CREATE A VENN DIAGRAM COMPARING SUMERIAN DAILY LIFE VS. YOUR DAILY LIFE

Daily life in Sumer

Take notes on this half about

what daily life in Sumer is like

Your daily lifeWrite notes on this side to

compare your life

Things that are the

sameabout

the two

lifestyles

WHAT WAS MOST IMPORTANT TO THE PEOPLE OF SUMER?

Farming – barley, flax, dates and sesame seeds were the main crops

Religion – people were able to come together and practice their faith and the role of priests became very significant

Economy – Barley was used as a method of payment because it was so valuable

Family – family structure went from being large clans to smaller families like we have today

MESOPOTAMIAN FAMILIES

Familes were patriarchal – Father’s were the head of the family, and property and power was passed down from fathers to sons.

Boys’s usually learned the trade their father worked in, or were trained in a new trade.

Girl’s stayed home and learned how to cook, care for the home, and take care of younger children with their mothers.

One of the greatest sins was for a child to defy their parents. Girls went from being their father’s daughter to their

husband’s wife at a very young age. Marriages were pre-arranged by parents and a dowry was

provided to the groom’s family.

HOW WOULD THIS WORK TODAY?

Partner up with your “husband” or “wife”

Pair up with another partner group Imagine you are arranging the

marriage of your children Negotiate a dowry using modern day

gifts

WHAT WERE MESOPOTAMIAN HOMES LIKE?

Lower class homes were more like small shacks made with bundled reeds

Middle class homes included small rooms on the main floor surrounding a small courtyard in the middle, and an uncovered upper level - people generally slept on the rooftops due to the local climate

These homes were built very close together (shared walls between homes), with hand-made mud bricks, and with little ventilation

Mud bricks were used because other materials were not available and because they kept homes cool inside

Upper class homes were larger, adorned in decorations, and even had balconies.

HOUSING IN MESOPOTAMIA

WHAT DID SUMERIANS WEAR?

They learned how to use the resources around them (wool and flax) to make clothes and they began weaving cloth

Men wore skirt-like garments tied at the waist and their jewellery including necklaces and earrings. They were either clean shaven or had long hair and beards.

Women wore anything from just a shawl wrapped around them to full-length dresses with their right arm and shoulder uncovered. They wore their hair long, but it was usually braided. They also wore jewellery, and the wealthier women put on headdresses when entertaining guests.

The amount and level of decor of the clothing and jewellery varied depending on a person’s status.

WHAT WAS EDUCATION LIKE IN MESOPOTAMIA?

Only higher class boys were allowed to go to school. Boys of lower classes and girls learned their work through their parents.

Boys in school studied to become scribes which was a very prestigious job in Sumerian society.

Scribes were required to record transactions in business and law, and to write stories.

Their form of writing was called “cuneiform” and was written on heavy clay tablets.

In school, boys spent their mornings copying myths and epics, and their afternoons working on refining their writing skills.

Schools were called “edubba” and were run by a head teacher known as a “school father”, or “unmia”

The assistants to the school father were known as “big brothers” and they were in charge of preparing clay tablets, assisting the students as needed, and disciplining students.

Students were regularly humiliated or beaten with a stick when they made mistakes.

Scribing continued to be an important part of school, but over time other subjects were introduced in schools: math, law, biology, economics, astronomy, economics, agriculture and the Sumerian language.

ONLINE SOURCES

http://www.historyguide.org/ancient/lecture2b.html - The History Guide: Lecture 2 - Ancient Western Asia and the Civilization of Mesopotamia

http://ant3145-mesopotamia.wikispaces.com/Housing+and+Construction-+Lauren+Schreck – Housing and Construction by Lauren Schreck

http://nippurean.blogspot.com/2009_11_01_archive.html - city image

http://albertis-window.blogspot.com/2009_05_01_archive.html - clothing image