Social Structure
a tiered system that determined rank; as in a pyramid (or plane)
what is a social hierarchy?
a temple where Sumerians believed gods and goddesses ruled the city, served as shrines
what is a ziggurat?
mainly trading with agriculture with Egypt and Harappa.
what was the economy of Sumer like?
first written language, cuneiform
what was writing in Mesopotamia?
originating around 2600 BCE, is the world's oldest literature and includes genres like the epic, hymns, proverbs, and myths, often written in Sumerian and Akkadian on clay tablets using cuneiform script.
what was Mesopotamian literature?
kings, nobles, priests, wealthy land owners
first class of the plane; top part of the pyramid
wedge-shaped writing on clay tablets; writing system of the Sumerians; record keeping for the economy
what is cuneiform?
based on agriculture, made possible by the TIgris and Euphrates Rivers, which led to a surplus of food and the growth of cities
what was the economy of ancient Mesopotamia?
organized as city-states; ruled by kings, monarchy, and theocracy; Hammurabi's Code
what was governance and law in Mesopotamia?
an epic poem from Mesopotamian time, best known piece of literature in Akkadian
what is the epic of Gilgamesh?
farmers, craftsmen, artisans, fishermen
business/economy of the plane; middle part of the pyramid
when people will only serve one god or/and goddesses.
what is monotheistic?
involved a complex society with a division of labor for jobs.
life of Mesopotamia
based on sexagesimal number system, which led to modern divisions of time and circles.
combination of astrology and early, mathematical science, used for timekeeping and divination.
what is mathematics and astronomy in Mesopotamia?
the earliest writing consisted of simple drawings representing objects.
what are Mesopotamian pictographs?
slaves, servant farmers
no plane at all; lower part of the pyramid
when people will serve many gods or/and goddesses.
what is polytheistic?
from temple-controlled economies to more centralized ones under kings, and faced challenges like drought and invasion.
what did the Mesopotamian society evolve from?
included the wheel, irrigation, written language, and the plow
what was the technology in Mesopotamia?
this system evolved into logographic writing, where each sign represented an entire word.
what are logograms?
determined by birth, though some degree of social mobility was possible
a person's class
approx. 2500 BCE
when did mathematics begin to develop in mesopotamia?
relied on both barter and early forms of currency like barley, silver, and gold.
what did the economy also rely on?
relied on river and canal travel using boats and barges, and land travel with animal-powered carts, sledges, donkeys, and camels.
what was the transportation in Mesopotamia?
signs represented sounds or syllables rather than just words, made the script more versatile and capable of expressing abstract concepts, names, and ideas.
what are phonetic elements?