Social Life ➢ The priest-kings were believed to be
the representative of the city’s patron
➢ There were three social classes in God or Goddess.
Sumeria:
• Nobility ➢ Priests were very powerful and
• free citizens, and
important.
• Slaves
➢ They told people how to behave to
➢ The free people class was a keep the gods happy.
combination of a modern-day middle
and lower class. ➢ They lived in temples and were the
city's tax collectors.
➢ The nobility was the upper class.
➢ All people of the nobility class were in
➢ Thus, Sumerian Society can be charge of maintenance, construction,
classified into FOUR Group: and organization of the canals.
▪ Upper Class
▪ Middle Class ➢ The middle class was made up of
▪ Lower Class merchants, craftsmen, and anyone
▪ Slaves who was involved in trade.
➢ The nobility class included priests, ➢ The middle-class men lived in the city.
and priest-kings.
,➢ The lower class was made up farmers,
fishermen, shepherds, and hunters. ➢ The king and the priests kept most
slaves, but wealthy They have no right
➢ These people lived on the outskirts of on their body.
the city and were responsible for the
food supply. ➢ The earliest known recorded evidence
of the Slavery in the ancient world was
➢ The slave class was the lowest class, from Sumer.
made up of prisoners of war, who not
paid borrowed and who take birth in
slave family.
➢ Slaves could be bought or sold.
➢ The slaves were allowed to marry and
have a family if they wished, but on the
permission of the owners.
➢ When they defeated another town or
tribe in battle, they would bring back
the prisoners as slaves.
➢ Sumerians could buy slaves to work
for them.
, Women be sold even though selling children was
➢ In ancient Sumeria society families were considered a bad omen.
very important.
➢ Males were the preferred gender in ancient
➢ The family was the basic unit of society and Sumerian and the men were far more
there were certain things that could and powerful than the women.
couldn’t be done. Law
➢ Example- a woman living in Sumerian ➢ Law code was made after 3000 BCE.
society could do or go anywhere she ➢ Priest as Judge.
wanted as long as she had her husband's ➢ Sometimes public assembly worked as
permission. Judge.
➢ Plaintiff/वादी- Defendant/प्रतिवादी had to
➢ In the case of a divorce, both the man and advocate for himself.
the woman would pay a fine, and if there ➢ Punishment was based on ‘Tit for Tat’.
were no children, the divorce was easy. ➢ The Court’s decision has to be enforced by
the Plaintiff.
➢ If the couple did have children, the woman ➢ Determination of punishment on social
faced severe penalties. standing and moral conduct.
➢ The children in a family had to respect their
parents because disrespecting parental
figures was considered a grave sin.
➢ If the family was in an incredibly bad
financial situation, then the children would
the representative of the city’s patron
➢ There were three social classes in God or Goddess.
Sumeria:
• Nobility ➢ Priests were very powerful and
• free citizens, and
important.
• Slaves
➢ They told people how to behave to
➢ The free people class was a keep the gods happy.
combination of a modern-day middle
and lower class. ➢ They lived in temples and were the
city's tax collectors.
➢ The nobility was the upper class.
➢ All people of the nobility class were in
➢ Thus, Sumerian Society can be charge of maintenance, construction,
classified into FOUR Group: and organization of the canals.
▪ Upper Class
▪ Middle Class ➢ The middle class was made up of
▪ Lower Class merchants, craftsmen, and anyone
▪ Slaves who was involved in trade.
➢ The nobility class included priests, ➢ The middle-class men lived in the city.
and priest-kings.
,➢ The lower class was made up farmers,
fishermen, shepherds, and hunters. ➢ The king and the priests kept most
slaves, but wealthy They have no right
➢ These people lived on the outskirts of on their body.
the city and were responsible for the
food supply. ➢ The earliest known recorded evidence
of the Slavery in the ancient world was
➢ The slave class was the lowest class, from Sumer.
made up of prisoners of war, who not
paid borrowed and who take birth in
slave family.
➢ Slaves could be bought or sold.
➢ The slaves were allowed to marry and
have a family if they wished, but on the
permission of the owners.
➢ When they defeated another town or
tribe in battle, they would bring back
the prisoners as slaves.
➢ Sumerians could buy slaves to work
for them.
, Women be sold even though selling children was
➢ In ancient Sumeria society families were considered a bad omen.
very important.
➢ Males were the preferred gender in ancient
➢ The family was the basic unit of society and Sumerian and the men were far more
there were certain things that could and powerful than the women.
couldn’t be done. Law
➢ Example- a woman living in Sumerian ➢ Law code was made after 3000 BCE.
society could do or go anywhere she ➢ Priest as Judge.
wanted as long as she had her husband's ➢ Sometimes public assembly worked as
permission. Judge.
➢ Plaintiff/वादी- Defendant/प्रतिवादी had to
➢ In the case of a divorce, both the man and advocate for himself.
the woman would pay a fine, and if there ➢ Punishment was based on ‘Tit for Tat’.
were no children, the divorce was easy. ➢ The Court’s decision has to be enforced by
the Plaintiff.
➢ If the couple did have children, the woman ➢ Determination of punishment on social
faced severe penalties. standing and moral conduct.
➢ The children in a family had to respect their
parents because disrespecting parental
figures was considered a grave sin.
➢ If the family was in an incredibly bad
financial situation, then the children would
