Ancient Mesopotamia
DAILY LIFE IN MESOPOTAMIA ( STARTING
WITH SUMER)
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.
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WHY WAS THE ABILITY TO FARM SO
IMPORTANT?
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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
Things
that are
the
same
about
the two
lifestyles
Your daily life
Write notes on this side to
compare your life
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
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MESOPOTAMIAN FAMILIES
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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
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WHAT WERE MESOPOTAMIAN HOMES LIKE?
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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?
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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?
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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.
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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
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http://www.historyguide.org/ancient/lecture2b.html The History Guide: Lecture 2 - Ancient Western Asia and
the Civilization of Mesopotamia
http://ant3145mesopotamia.wikispaces.com/Housing+and+Constructi
on-+Lauren+Schreck – Housing and Construction by
Lauren Schreck
http://nippurean.blogspot.com/2009_11_01_archive.ht
ml - city image
http://albertiswindow.blogspot.com/2009_05_01_archive.html clothing image