Mesopotamian Society and Beliefs

Mesopotamian Society

• A privileged minority comprised a small group, with high wealth and rights.
• The king held positions of both monarch and high priest, residing in the palace.
• Aristocrats, comprising the royal family and nobility, owned large estates.
• Priests led religious ceremonies, residing in temples with land holdings.
• Scribes served as officials, controlling product quality and recording taxes.

Rest of the Population

• The majority consisted of free or enslaved individuals.
• Peasants worked on land owned by the king or temples, receiving a portion of the harvest.
• Craftspeople produced goods like textiles, perfumes, wood, and metal in workshops.
• Merchants facilitated trade through river ports, bartering various goods like silver, copper, etc.
• Women were subordinate to men, expected to have children and needing permission for work, receiving half the pay of a male counterpart for the same work.

Mesopotamian Beliefs

• Mesopotamians practiced polytheism, believing in multiple gods.
• Anu was the sky god, Ishtar was the goddess of war and love, and Enlil was the wind god.
• Gods were perceived as powerful personalities, revealed through nature, dreams, or prophecies.
• Each city-state worshipped a patron deity, and ceremonies were held in their temples.