With the start of the Sumerian civilization, daily life in Mesopotamia began to change. Prior to the growth of cities and large towns, people lived in small villages and most people hunted and gathered. There wasn't a lot of variety in jobs or daily life.
Assyrian Musicians
With the growth of large cities, things changed. There were all sorts of jobs and activities. While many people still worked as farmers in the country, in the city a person could grow up to work in a number of different jobs such as priest, scribe, merchant, craftsman, soldier, civil servant, or laborer.
Different Classes of People
With people moving to towns and governments being formed, society was dividing into different classes of people for perhaps the first time. At the top of society was the king and his family. The priests were considered near the top as well. The rest of the upper class was made up of the wealthy such as high level administrators and scribes.
Below the upper class was a small middle class made up of craftsman, merchants, and civil servants. They could make a decent living and could work hard to try and move up in class.
The lower class was made up of laborers and farmers. These people lived a harder life, but could still work their way up with hard work.
At the bottom were the slaves. Slaves were owned by the king or bought and sold among the upper class. Slaves were usually people who were captured in battle.
What type of homes did they live in?
Workers and merchants traveling

Most people lived in mud brick homes. They were rectangular in shape and had two to three levels. The roofs were flat and people would often sleep on the roofs during the hot summers. The mud brick worked as a good insulator and helped to keep the homes a bit cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter.
Entertainment
As the cities of Mesopotamia grew wealthy, there were more resources and free time for people to enjoy entertainment. They enjoyed music at festivals including drums, lyres, flutes, and harps. They also enjoyed sports such as boxing and wrestling as well as board games and games of chance using dice. The children of the time would have had toys to play with such as tops and jump ropes.
Art and poetry was a big part of the wealthier cities. Most of the poetry and art had a religious theme or honored the king of the city. Storytellers would have passed stories down over generations with some of the more popular stories eventually being written down on clay tablets by scribes.
Clothing
Clothing was typically made from sheepskin or wool. The men wore kilt-like skirts and the women wore longer dresses. They enjoyed wearing jewelry, especially rings. The women braided their long hair, while the men had long hair and beards. Both men and women wore makeup.

HAMMURABI’S CODE
The first great king of Babylon was King Hammurabi . He conquered all of Mesopotamia and established the first Babylonian Empire. Hammurabi also established a set of laws that is today called the Code of Hammurabi.
How do we know about the Code of Hammurabi?
The Code of Hammurabi was written down on clay tablets and etched into stone. It is one of the oldest recorded codes of laws in the world. One of the best surviving examples of the code is written on the "diorite stele".
The top of the diorite stele
Diorite Stele
The diorite stele is a large stone shaped like a giant finger. It is about seven feet tall and two feet wide. It contains around 4000 lines of text describing 282 different laws. At the top, or "fingertip", of the stele is a carved picture of King Hammurabi being given the laws from the Babylonian sun god Shamash.
The Code of Law
The actual code of law was divided up into groupings. Many of the laws that had to do with one subject (i.e. slavery) were grouped together. This would have helped people to find and read just the laws that pertained to them. Here are some of the major sections of the code:
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Prologue
 Legal Procedures
Household laws
 Slavery
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Trade and business
 Religion
Epilogue

The prologue introduced the Code. The prologue describes how the god Shamash gave the laws to Hammurabi.
Here is an excerpt from the prologue:
"bring about the rule of righteousness in the land, to destroy the wicked and the evil-doers; so that the strong should not harm the weak, so that I should rule …. and enlighten the land, to further the well-being of mankind".
In the epilogue Hammurabi restates his desire for justice for all saying "Let the oppressed man come and stand before my image as king of righteousness. Let him understand my words and his case, so he will understand what is just and his heart will be glad."
Examples of the Laws
Many of the laws describe exactly what a worker should earn. For example, one law states that a sailor should be paid six gur of grain per year.
Some laws were very harsh and the penalties severe:
 If a son should strike his father, his hands shall be cut off.
 If a man put out the eye of another man, his eye shall be put out.
 If any man should strike a man of higher rank, he shall receive sixty blows with an ox-whip.
 If a builder builds a house for someone and that house collapses killing them, then the builder shall be put to death.
What makes the code important?
The code itself tells archeologists a lot about the lives of the people of Babylon. It also contains some important ideas like having people provide evidence of a crime, innocent until proven guilty, and protection for the weak.
Interesting Facts about the Code of Hammurabi
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Shamash, who is featured at the top of the diorite stele, was the Babylonian god of law, justice, and salvation.
The diorite stele is called "diorite" because it is made from a type of black rock called diorite.
The diorite stele was originally found by archeologists in the ancient city of Susa. Today it can be found in the Louvre Museum in Paris, France.
The Code of Hammurabi is one of the oldest and longest deciphered writings in existence.
The code was written using cuneiform script and the Akkadian language.

THE ASSYRIAN ARMY
The Assyrian Empire was built on the strength of their powerful army. The warrior society of the Assyrians produced fearsome soldiers as well as innovative generals. They used chariots, iron weapons, and siege equipment to dominate their enemies.
A Standing Army
The early Assyrians were a warrior society. Every young man was expected to train as a warrior and be ready to fight. As the Assyrian Empire grew, they built a standing army.
A standing army is one made up of professional soldiers whose only job is to fight. The Assyrian soldiers were trained in siege warfare, battle tactics, and hand-to-hand combat. Every spring the Assyrian army would launch a battle campaign. They would conquer rich cities, expanding the Assyrian Empire and bringing back wealth to the king. It is estimated that the size of the Assyrian army at its peak was several hundred thousand soldiers.
Building an Empire
The kings of the Assyrians used this fearsome army to build and expand their empire. The fear of the army was used to keep the newly conquered people in line. They built forts and roads throughout the empire to help the army to travel quickly to troubled spots. Any rebellion was quickly crushed.
Eventually, the Assyrian Empire became too big to manage in this way. The cruelty of the Assyrian soldiers caused rebellion throughout the empire spreading the army thin. When the Babylonians united with the Medes in 612 BC, they overthrew the Assyrians and brought an end to their reign.
Warrior Kings
The kings of the Assyrians were expected to be warriors themselves. They led the Assyrian army into battle and fought fiercely. Of course, they were surrounded by an elite force of troops whose job was to keep the king alive. Even so, some kings did die in combat, such as Sargon II.

Chariots
One of the greatest strengths of the Assyrian army was its chariots. A chariot is a wheeled vehicle pulled by two to four horses. Riders would stand on the chariot. Typically there were two riders; a driver and a soldier armed with a spear and a bow and arrow. Sometimes a third man was added to protect the rear.
Chariots were used to smash into enemy lines to create a gap for the rest of the army. They were also used for leaders and generals who could move about the battlefield quickly issuing orders.
Assyrian cavalry
Weapons
The Assyrians used a wide variety of weapons including swords, spears, bows and arrows, slings, and daggers.
The Assyrians were the first to use iron to make their weapons. Iron was stronger than the bronze used by their enemies and gave them a distinct advantage.
Armor
The main armor used by Assyrian soldiers was a shield and helmet. Archers had a shield bearer who would cover them while they got off shots. Full body armor was generally reserved for the officers and generals.
Siege Equipment
The Assyrians invented some of the first siege equipment to defeat fortified cities. They used battering rams to break down gates and siege towers to go over walls. This was the first time that such complicated siege equipment was used in battle.
Interesting Facts about the Assyrian Army
 The Assyrians were experts in the area of logistics. They built food stores along the roads of their empire to feed their army as it traveled.
 The king's court generally accompanied him while on a war campaign. This included his family, servants, advisors, and even entertainment.
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The Assyrian army was one of the first to use cavalry.
 They used inflated sheep skins to keep rafts afloat while they transported heavy chariots across rivers.
They had something similar to the Pony Express to carry messages throughout the empire quickly.

Posted on August 20, 2013 | 4 Comments
“Wooden Cartwheel” Image courtesy of Stoonn/ FreeDigitalPhotos.net
When we think about the invention of the wheel, the picture that jumps into our minds is the wheel from a car or maybe an ancient Roman chariot. The earliest wheels, however, were much different than 21 st
century wheels or even those used in first century battles.
The wheel was invented by the ancient Sumerians. They lived in the land between the Tigris and the Euphrates
Rivers in the Middle East. Much, much later this land became part of the country we call Iraq. The Sumerians were the first people to develop a written language. Extensive studies of their writings have led archaeologists and historians to also credit them with the invention of the wheel.
“Potter” Image courtesy of dan/FreeDigitalPhotos.net
The concept of the wheel actually grew out of a mechanical device that the Sumerians had invented shortly after
3500 B.C.—the potter’s wheel. No other civilization of their time had one. This was a heavy flat disk made of hardened clay. It was spun horizontally on an axis to allow the potter to form evenly shaped jars and bowls from wet clay. The Sumerians didn’t, however, simply turn this clay-splattered wheel on its end and hook it to a wagon to make a wheel. Instead, the concept of the wheel went through many stages of development before it became a practical method for moving heavy objects from one location to another.

The wheel started out as a man-made log. The Sumerians figured out that if they could prop the edge of a heavy crate up onto a long log-shaped object, they would be able to roll the load over the object and move it forward. They would then place a second log under the front edge of the load and continue rolling it. Believe it or not, this was the first wheel. Interestingly, the Sumerians did not use large logs cut from trees. Unfortunately, trees with thick trunks did not grow where they lived. This land was very dry except for a few swamps near the rivers. The only kinds of trees that grew there were wild fruit trees and soft palm trees. Neither of these had thick, straight trunks that could be cut down and made into logs.The Sumerians, however, were very creative and didn’t let that stop them. They cut flat planks from the trees and fastened them together into the shape of a log. They then chiseled the wood down so that it would be curved enough to roll. This was the first “wheel.”
Being very practical people, the Sumerians were not satisfied with “The Roller. They wanted an easier way to move heavy loads. Their next invention was called “The Sledge.” It did not have a roller. Instead, they took their crate and attached a base with runners under it so that it resembled a large sled. The front edges of these runners were curved up like skis. Because of this curve, the runners slid more easily across the ground. There was also a straight crosspiece that connected the two runners in the front. It braced the two runners and was used as a handle for pulling and guiding the sledge. It took a lot of pushing and pulling, but people were able to move their loaded crates on the runners. Even though this device looked nothing like a wheel, it accomplished the purpose of a wheel.
This sledge worked well unless the terrain was rocky or bumpy. The runners kept catching on rocks and tree roots and jerking to a stop. The Sumerians then decided to combine their roller wheel idea with the sledge idea and placed the sledge on top of rollers.
This type of wheel worked well as long as the ground was flat. On hillsides and inclines, though, the runners of the sledge kept inching their way off the roller as it moved. Once the runners started slipping sideways, it was almost impossible to inch them back into place. This was a serious problem when you were transporting something very heavy. Too many times, one of the runners slipped off the edge of the roller and the whole load tipped over.
But the once again Sumerians would not give up. There had to be a better answer. They noticed that after a roller had been used for a while, it started to get grooves where the runners rubbed against the wooden roller. They came up with a terrific idea: Why not actually cut grooves where you want the runners to ride on the roller? This would keep them in place. The Sumerians quickly cut grooves into all their rollers and ended up with a much more efficient wheel.

Still, to move loads this way was tiring and required lots of people. Just moving the rollers to where they had to be used was an exhausting chore. The Sumerians reasoned that it might not be necessary to use the whole heavy roller. Only the ends were actually needed to prop up the load. What would happen if they cut out some of the excess wood in the middle of the roller and just left the two ends connected by a narrower middle piece? The middle piece or “axle” connected the two ends and at the same time carried the load. To keep the sledge in place, the Sumerians attached four pegs (two on each side of the sledge). The “axle” rolled between the pegs and this kept the sledge in the right position on top of the axle. The wooden ends of the roller were what we now call “wheels.”
What a difference! The Sumerians now had a lighter-weight cart to carry their loads. They tinkered with their new invention and decided to get rid of the pegs. They added a piece of wood to each side of the cart. These pieces hung down under the cart. They then drilled holes in these pieces so that the axle could easily roll inside them. These extra pieces were called “bearings” because they bore the weight of the cart. Now the sledge was permanently attached to the axle and the wheels.
What the Sumerians ended up with was a two-wheeled cart. This was later developed into a chariot that could be pulled by a horse or donkey. Other surrounding civilizations copied the design and quickly adapted the wheel to the needs of their own cultures.
Who would ever think that a device meant for making pottery would be the inspiration for one of the greatest and most wide-reaching inventions of mankind? Think about how many ways wheels are used today—not just for transportation, but for manufacturing, home appliances and recreation. We are in debt to the Sumerians for their ingenuity and persistence. Imagine how different our world would be if no one had ever invented the wheel!

by Rachel Alexander, Demand Media o Bit.lyBloggerDeliciousDiggInstapaperPosterousStumbleuponTumblrYahoo! Bookmark x
It was believed that ancient Mesopotamian kings were chosen by the gods
Though not divine themselves, but rather divinely chosen, the kings of ancient Mesopotamia acted as earthly representatives of the gods. As stated in a Sumerian proverb, “Man is the shadow of god, but the king is god’s reflection.”
The main responsibilities of the kings involved participation in religious rituals, managing the affairs of the state in war and peace, writing laws and guiding the administration and execution of justice.
Divine Agent
Although it was believed that the cosmic ruling body of the state in ancient Mesopotamia was the gods, a human steward was selected to enact that cosmic order. The king was believed to be personally chosen by the gods and, although he was acting to manifest the will of the gods, he himself was not considered to be godly. In this way, his primary role was as a divine agent.
Military Leader
War and conquest were considered to be the divine mission of the ancient Mesopotamian kings, whose duty it was to allocate more resources and people into their domain. They believed that in order to protect themselves and their kingdoms they would need to expand and conquer areas of perceived threat. War was also the primary means of economic gain as conquering meant the accrual of slave labor, people to tax and land to tribute.
Codes of Law
Another primary role of the king was to disseminate codes of law--codes that today are considered to be the world's oldest surviving legal documents. The codes were written by the king, in the tone of a constitution, proclaiming his duty to enact the godly will in an effort to build a more just society. The codes speak to problems of daily life from land ownership to divorce and dowry as well as professional malpractice.
Serving Justice
Ancient Mesopotamian society was not democratic in nature, as there was no regular court system, lawyers or prisons to aid in enacting justice. Instead the cultural characteristic of innate compliance to authority, which permeated the mindset

of the Mesopotamians, allowed for the execution of justice. The state and the will of the gods took precedence over individual rights. The king’s role in the serving of justice was to appoint judges to decide the guilt or innocence of criminals based on their oral testimony. He also acted to ensure punishment was bestowed upon the guilty.

Royal Game of Ur
In 1926-27, the British archeologist Leonard
Woolley, while excavating in the royal tombs of
Sumer (modern Iraq), discovered four game boards and a number of playing pieces.
The tombs were in the city of Ur (in red on the map on the left), once the capital of Sumer about 2500 B.C., and the legendary home of the
Biblical Abraham. This area is in the "fertile crescent", south of Baghdad and Babylon. There are many references to Woolley's discovery, complete with a number of colorful photographs such as the one below. Woolley's finds are now held by the British Museum.
H.J.R. Murray in his book, "Board Games Other
Than Chess", Oxford, 1952, pages 19-21, indicated that this game is similar to the Egyptian game of Senet, though it is a variation of the
Egyptian game in that there are a reduced number of cells on the Ur board. Both game boards contain a drawer which holds the playing pieces and binary lots which are used like dice are used in a contemporary board game to determine the moves of the pieces. As do some of the Senet boards, some of the Ur boards include conical rather than flat pieces. Throwsticks or lots were included as a chance device in both games.
It appears to be a game for two players who alternate their moves on the board. Various markings on the board (such as the "rosettes") appear to have had some consequence in the play of the game if a piece lands on one of these squares - sort of like in a contemporary board game - "loose one turn", "go back three spaces", etc.
There are contempory playable reproductions of this game.
Purchased in 1977 from a shop in Munich, Germany, the box
(illustrated to the left) lid is 29.6cm square x 3.3cm high, and the box bottom is 29.3cm square x 3.5cm high. The lid has the game name in English, German, Italian, Dutch, French, and a brief description of the game in each of these languages on the bottom of the box. Within the box, a molded plastic platform holds the game board and playing pieces. The painted wooden board is
36.1cm long x 14.9cm wide x 1cm high, and is two pieces which fit together with dowels.
There are 20 wooden playing pieces, 3.5cm diameter x .5cm high.
Ten pieces are of a light wood, and ten of dark wood. All pieces have 5 circles stamped on both sides. On one side of each piece the circles are painted red, and on the other side they are painted blue. There are two standard wooden die, each 1.8cm square, each numbered from one to six. The game was manufactured by Otto Maier

Verlag, Ravensburg, Germany. The following information and instructions are included with the
Ravensburg game:
HOW TO PLAY THE GAME
No rules for the game were found. However, various factors, such as the shape and construction of the board, indicate clearly that Ur is an ancestor of the backgammon group of games. We have selected the most appropriate and challenging rules from among the various suggested reconstructions. Once enjoyed by royalty, Ur can now be a "royal" pastime for all.