What did the Mesopotamians do for a living?

What did the Mesopotamians do for a living?

Besides farming, Mesopotamian commoners were carters, brick makers, carpenters, fishermen, soldiers, tradesmen, bakers, stone carvers, potters, weavers and leather workers.

What was family life like in Mesopotamia?

In ancient Mesopotamia the family was the basic unit of society that was governed by specific patriarchal rules. Monogamy was the rule, even though the nobility could have concubines. The purchase of wives from their fathers was common, but the practice became less common after 3000 BC.

What is present day Mesopotamia?

Mesopotamia is located in the region now known as the Middle East, which includes parts of southwest Asia and lands around the eastern Mediterranean Sea. ... Situated in the fertile valleys between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, the region is now home to modern-day Iraq, Kuwait, Turkey and Syria.

How did Mesopotamia develop agriculture?

The very fertile soil allowed enormous surpluses to be generated. The main crops were barley and wheat. The Sumerians had gardens shaded by tall date palms where they grew peas, beans and lentils, vegetables like cucumbers, leeks, lettuces and garlic, and fruit such as grapes, apples, melons and figs.

How did farming affect life in Mesopotamia?

Agriculture was the main economic activity in ancient Mesopotamia. ... The agriculture of southern or Lower Mesopotamia, the land of Sumer and Akkad, which later became Babylonia received almost no rain and required large scale irrigation works which were supervised by temple estates, but could produce high returns.

How big of an area did ancient Mesopotamia cover?

Ancient Mesopotamia was mostly in the same area as modern day Iraq, positioned between two rivers, the Tigris and Euphrates. The word Mesopotamia is Greek meaning "the land between the rivers". Ancient Mesopotamia included an area that was about 300 miles long and about 150 miles wide.

What made Mesopotamia unique?

Mesopotamia is the name of an ancient region which means the land between two rivers. Mesopotamia made up most of what is today Iraq, and is considered to be the first civilization. The Mesopotamian culture also developed the first written language, religion, and agriculture. ...

What did Mesopotamia value?

Learning & Religion Intellectual pursuits were highly valued across Mesopotamia, and the schools (devoted primarily to the priestly class) were said to be as numerous as temples and taught reading, writing, religion, law, medicine, and astrology.