Daily Life

The Mesopotamians really enjoyed eating! Meat was considered a delicacy, which poorer families did not get the chance to savor often. Meats like beef, lamb, and duck were preferred. Near the coast, seafood and turtles were bountiful.  Similar to us, the people of Mesopotamia ate wheat and barley on a regular basis. Barley was used to make the beverage that no one would have a meal without: beer.  Grain was used to make porridge and flour. This flour made unleavened bread which was flavored with fruits, oils, and honey, which created more than 300 variations of this bread. A common pest to crops, the locust, was killed, served and eaten willingly by the people.

The people of Mesopotamia lived in a patriarchal society, one where men had the power. In this society, the roles of women were strictly defined. If a woman was not of royalty or a noble, she was not allowed to act as an individual person. Girls were trained as children to fill the position as a wife and mother. They were taught to cook, clean, make clothing, and raise children. The few times a woman was out of her house she was selling beer. Women were put in the medicinal field to create medicine to for abortion. Marriages were also arranged.

Society was also based on 4 categories, priests, nobles, commoners, and slaves. The priests were the only ones allowed to talk to the gods. Nobles included friends to the king and scribes. They were prestigious and enjoyed luxuries such as meat. The commoners represented most of the population and worked in trades that were necessary to the civilization. The slaves, unlike the rest of the settlement, did not have quality lives. A person became a slave because they became bankrupt, were prisoners of war, or committed a crime.

Sumerian Pots

The Locust