- Mesopotamia – Egypt – Indus Valley –
- Shang – Olmec – Chavin – Aegean –
 Ancient civilizations shared similar
social structures
 Hierarchy with king at top & slaves
at bottom
 Upper classes usually associated with
war or religion
 Role of slaves & intermediate
classes depended on economy
 Merchants appeared in hierarchy
over time
 Women subordinate to men
 Patriarchy emerged
 More intensive agriculture favored
male labor over female
 Natural role in reproduction may
have played a role
 Daily life revolved around religion
 Distinct social classes based on
profession & gender
 Upper class – defined by large
amounts of land & wealth
 Avoided physical labor
 Enjoyed finest goods
 Commoners – most of the population
 Punished more harshly than those of superior rank
 Slaves – bottom of class system
 Pessimistic view on death
 Gender division – divorce easier for men; women subjected
by husbands & veiled in public
 Hammurabi’s Code – law code reflected social structure
 Punishments for crimes determined by class
 Defined patriarchal family life
 Social hierarchy permitted social
mobility
 Peasants & farmers could move up economic ladder
 Lower class families could save money to send sons to
learn a trade
 Pharaohs – leaders thought to be gods in human form
 Slaves – often POWs
 Could be appointed into positions of government and
palace
 Had rights that were not in other ancient civ. – could
regain freedom; children born free
 Women – greater rights than in other regions




Own, sell, and inherit property
Allowed to work
Dissolve marriages
Men still superior – Cleopatra & Hatshepsut only two
female pharaohs is an example
 Social structure is debated
due to little archaeological
evidence
 Three classes
 Warriors at top
 Priests in middle
 Peasants at bottom






Merchant class later added above peasants
Priests would move above warriors later
Social mobility allowed
Women had almost no rights
Became more complex & rigid over time
Later added sub-castes & social mobility ended
 King at top of social pyramid
 Military nobility – elite warrior class fought
with bronze weapons & horse-drawn chariots
 Priests
 Merchants & farmers
 Distinguished in burials
 Elite buried in elaborate tombs with objects
of wealth for afterlife
 Lesser classes buried in pits of varying size
 Lowest classes sometimes tossed down well
 Ancestor worship important in religion & life
 Kinship structures based on clans gave way to multigenerational family
units emerged in Zhou Period 1045-221BCE






Fathers had absolute authority over women & children
Arranged marriages
Could sell labor of family members
Limited to one wife, but permitted additional sex partners
Women discouraged from remarrying, but men obligated to
Yin/yang concept complemented male & female roles in natural order
 Yang- men – active, bright, shining
 Yin – women – passive, shaded, reflective
 Little evidence
 Two main groups
 Common people
 Worked on farms or irrigation systems,
supplying food for the population
 Elite
 Rulers  shaman  skilled artisans &
craftsmen
 Lived in small religious centers or cities (La
Venta & San Lorenzo)
 Rulers often associated with different gods
 Obtained control over trade & imports like
jade & cacao
 Not believed that the cities ruled over
all rural areas
 No military
 Social distinctions increased
over time in contrast to
Olmec
 Local chiefs & more powerful
king dominated politics
 Priest class ruled religious
life
 Military developed
 Conquering lands important
aspects of society
 Influence depended on
development of religious
beliefs in conquered areas
 Metallurgy became popular
among highly skilled artisans
 Early period – no evidence of social hierarchy, similar to
Neolithic patriarchal communities
 Men & women may have had near equal social status
 Definite rich & poor class
 Upper class Minoans had free standing houses aside from
the palace
 Some poor had multi-room dwellings in the city
 Evidenced by later tombs
 Social power affected by economic situation, historical
position of family, religious caste
 In general – simple population & workers  palatial elite
 religious class
 Strict hierarchy indicated by graves
 Powerful ruling monarchy
 Adopted palatial states of Minoan & Near
East civilizations
 Political & religious leader at top
 Lower administrative duties & powers given to
local chiefs & controllers
 Centralized political system based on land
ownership
 Military character – ruling class often gained
wealth from booty in military operations
 http://apworldhistory-rochester-k12-mi-




us.wikispaces.com/1C.+Basic+features+of+early
+civilizations+Mesopotamia,+Indus+Valley,+%26+Egypt
http://thesocialclassesoftheancientworld.blogspot.
com/2012/02/social-classes-of-indus-rivervalley.html
http://apworld2012.wikispaces.com/OLMEC+AND
+CHAVIN
http://www.bronzeage.org.uk/7.aspx
http://www.ime.gr/chronos/02/mainland/en/mg/s
ociety/