How were Sumerian social classes organized?

Sumerian societies were strictly organized into a class-based structure, with kings and priests ruling at the top. Below them was a small middle class, composed of generally wealthy merchants, artisans, and scribes who managed the products, ideas, and policies moving through the city, with the last being bureaucrats.

What was Sumerian social structure like what were the social classes?

The populations of these cities were divided into social classes which, like societies in every civilization throughout history, were hierarchical. These classes were: The King and Nobility, The Priests and Priestesses, The Upper Class, the Lower Class, and The Slaves.

How were the Sumerian social classes different from those in the US today?

In Sumeria, one’s social class was determined at birth and usually remained the same throughout the person’s life. Another major difference was the role of religion among the ruling class. In the United States, there is a strict division between politics and religious institutions. Sumeria also had a slave class.

Which social class was at the bottom of the Sumerian society?

The bottom class was all of the slaves. They lived in their owners homes, and had no property of their own.

Which were the main social classes in Sumerian society?

The people of Sumer and the people of Babylon (the civilization that was built on the ruins of Sumer) were divided into four classes – the priests, the upper class, the lower class, and the slaves.

Who made up the three classes of Sumerian society?

People in Sumer were divided into three social classes. The upper class included kings, priests, warriors, and government officials. In the middle class were artisans, merchants, farmers, and fishers. These people made up the largest group.

What are the three levels of Sumerian society?

Which class was the highest social class in Mesopotamian societies?

Upper-class people in Mesopotamia consisted of nobility and the rich. Some government officials and wealthy landowners and merchants were included in this class. The upper-classes dressed in fine cloths and wore expensive jewelry, and men showed their social status by wearing a long hair and beard.

Who was at the bottom of society in a Sumerian city?

The lower class were enslaved people (prisoners of war, criminals, Still others were enslaved because they had to pay off their debts) who worked on farms or in the temples. Generally, a person had to stay in the social class into which he or she was _______________. 12.

Why did the Sumerians add an extra month?

To keep the lunar year of 354 days in step with the solar year of 365.25 days, an extra, intercalary month was added every three years or so, much like a Gregorian leap year. There were no weeks in the Sumerian calendar.

What groups of people were in the lower class in Mesopotamia?

The lower class in Mesopotamia consisted of people who got paid for their work. This included professions such as fishermen, pottery makers and farmers. Even though Mesopotamian society was not equal, everybody had to pay for goods or services, even the king.