6th Grade UBD - Unit 3 - Mesopotamian Society

Mesopotamian Religion- Mesopotamians were polytheists. They
worshiped many different gods connected to nature and to
particular aspects of life.

A Social Pyramid- Mesopotamian society was organized into a
social pyramid. Your place on the pyramid was determined by your
work. Most people stayed at the level they were born at for their
entire lives.

A Series of Conquests- Mesopotamia was a rich land that many
people sought to conquer.

In Mesopotamian society
people had many
different roles. This
created a vibrant
civilization. How does
religion and gender
influence life today?
(5 minutes)

Work with a
neighbor and
compare your
answer with theirs.
What things are
the same and what
things are
different? (3
minutes)

Mesopotamia was one of the earliest civilizations to
have an organized religion. Their religion helped to
shape their society and culture.

Mesopotamian city-states built ziggurats to worship
their gods.

Mesopotamians believed that their kings were chosen
by the gods.

Religion played an important
role in the daily life of ancient
Mesopotamians.

The Mesopotamians believed
in polytheism.

Each god or goddess was in
charge of a part of nature or
daily life.

The Mesopotamians
wanted to honor their
gods and goddesses and
make sure they stayed in
the city.

So the people built large
religious monuments
called ziggurats.

To keep the gods and
goddesses happy,
Mesopotamians left
offerings, or gifts, for
them.

The gifts also were given
to ask the gods to send
blessings.
Key Term
Civilization- A
ancient religious
structure built in
the major cities of
Mesopotamia
that are similar to
the pyramids.
Reading Handout- Mesopotamian Ziggurats

People from all levels of Mesopotamian society were
important to the success of the civilization, but
different groups had different amounts of power.

The king was the most important political and
religious figure.

Enslaved people were at the bottom of the social
pyramid. They had no power.
Key Term
Social Pyramid- A way
of illustrating the social
organization of a
particular society. The
people with the most
wealth are at the top.
The people with the
least money and the
lowest social position
are on the bottom.

There are several marks of
civilization. One of them is
that work is specialized.

Everyone contributes in
some way to help meet
society’s needs, but people
do not have to do
everything for themselves.

Mesopotamian kings held
a great deal of political
and religious power.

They determined the
laws, collected taxes, and
organized labor for large
projects such as digging
irrigation ditches.

Mesopotamian people viewed
their kings as conduits to their
gods, so kings were also
responsible for religious
ceremonies.

Religion gave kings the authority
to rule, and in return kings
fulfilled religious obligations.

Mesopotamia developed a
stratified social-class
society.

A person’s work determined
his or her place in
Mesopotamian society.

The higher social levels had
the fewest people.

The king, priests, and other
important leaders made up
the top tier of
Mesopotamian society.

Scribes and other merchants
were a step below the top
tier, and peasants and slaves
were found at the bottom
layer of the social pyramid.

Artisans specialized in
making various
goods.

Mesopotamia had
bakers, iron workers,
potters, and weavers.
Video- How It's Made Bread

Scribes were also important
members of society.

They were the record
keepers.

They spent years learning to
read and write cuneiform,
the writing system used in
Mesopotamia.
Key Term
Cuneiform- A
system of
writing that
was widely
used in the
ancient Middle
East.

Peasants farmed the land
surrounding the cities.

They sold their extra food
to people living in the
cities.

Farmers also gave a certain
amount of their crops to
the king.

In all social classes, men
held more rights and
responsibilities than
women.

Most of Mesopotamia’s
religious and political
leaders were men.

In addition, men made
household decisions. Men
decided everything from what
work would be done to whom
their children would marry.

Women had little power in
Mesopotamian society,
although they were granted
some rights.

Women’s roles in society
were those of daughter,
wife, or mother.

Women usually did not
learn to read or write.

Instead, mothers taught
their girls how to be good
wives and mothers.
Reading Handout- Mesopotamian Women

Mesopotamia many natural resources made it a
good place to live. It was also a valuable land for
leaders to conquer and rule.

The history of Mesopotamia is marked by four
great empires. Between each empire’s rule and
the next, there were moments of disorder before
another leader conquered the region.

Mesopotamia was conquered
by many empires, from the
Akkadians all the way through
the Neo-Babylonians.

Mesopotamia was a valuable
land for conquerors due to its
rich land and well-traveled
trade routes.

The Akkadian Empire was the
first major empire in
Mesopotamia. Sargon was the
first king of the Akkadian
Empire.

The Babylonian Empire
conquered much of
Mesopotamia after the fall of the
Akkadian Empire.

The Assyrian Empire was the largest of
the four empires. The Assyrians
conquered other lands easily, but they
had difficulty controlling their vast
empire.

The Neo-Babylonian Empire, replaced
the Assyrian Empire. Although it was
not as large as the Assyrian Empire it
was very powerful.

Because Mesopotamia had rich
agricultural land and a lively
culture, many different empires
conquered it.

Each empire had an effect on
the culture of Mesopotamia
while also adopting certain parts
of Mesopotamian culture.

What has been the
“muddiest” point so far in
this lesson? That is, what
topic remains the least
clear to you? (4 minutes)

Work with a
neighbor and
compare your
muddiest point with
theirs. Compare
what things are the
same and what
things are different?
(3 minutes)