Mesopotamian Civilization

• Based on the next slide, what inferences can we make about the civilization that produced it?

• (an inference is a guess based on details and logic)

The volatile weather influenced Mesopotamian’s outlook

• Their Anthropomorphic gods were moody and had to be appeased

• Because of this the priests had both religious and political power at first

• This is called THEOCRACY

Monumental Architecture

• To appease the gods and as offices for the priesthood, Mesopotamians built ZIGGURATS

Social Stratification

• Mesopotamian society had different levels of power and rights

• Different classes had different punishments for crimes

• Classes were hereditary – by birth

• Slaves made up a major part of the workforce

Change in PFOS

• PFOS = Political Form Of State

• As city-states became powerful, they began to war on each other

• When the threat of war became greater than the threat of flooding, a major CHANGE happened:

• Military leaders took power from the priests

Aristocracy

• The new leaders – called LUGALS – passed their power down through their bloodline

• This form of government is called ARISTOCRACY

• Rules regulating women became more important when tracing descent became more important…

Questions:

• What was the influence of weather on religion and politics?

• How did Mesopotamian society reflect social stratification?

• How did the PFOS change over time? Why did it change (cause-effect)?