The Sumerians they were the first inhabitants of Mesopotamia.
In spring, when the ice and snow melted in the mountains, the rivers Tigers and Euphrates they were filled with the water that came from the mountains.
Therefore the rivers were in flood:the waters flooded the neighboring lands.
The Sumerians , however, with their work they had made the area where they lived one of the most fertile of ancient times.
They had built, in fact, a system of embankments, canals, locks and water collection tanks.
Thus they had controlled the floods of the rivers and had brought the water to even very distant territories. In this way they had water supplies for dry periods, that is, for when it was not raining. Since they could cultivate larger territories, the Sumerians they had more crops and, consequently, had more food for the population. For this reason the population continued to increase.
High brick walls protected the cities from floods and enemy attacks. Bricks were also used to construct all buildings.
The Sumerians built houses with white-painted clay bricks.
The houses were very close, attached to each other. The streets were narrow.
The most important buildings were the royal palace, where the king and his court lived, and the temple, which they called Ziggurat.
The Ziggurat it was a huge step pyramid (that is, very large steps) that dominated all the other buildings. The Ziggurat was the symbol of the city's strength and wealth.
Around the city there were cultivated fields crossed by canals, villages and reed huts.
The organization of Sumerian society was divided into classes. Each person had their own task and carried out certain activities.
The priest-king
He was at the head of the company:for the Sumerians he was the representative of the patron gods of the city.
he took care of religious ceremonies and the organization of the temple-warehouse , he decided which person was to lead the army and established (ie made) the laws.
- The scribes and officials
After the priest-king, scribes and officials were the most important figures in society:they guarded the warehouse and goods and wrote down the quantities of goods that were kept in the warehouse. They also controlled the lands that the farmers had to cultivate and irrigate.
- The soldiers
They occupied the third place in society. They had to defend the city and conquer new lands to cultivate.
- Merchants and craftsmen
Merchants bought and sold goods. The craftsmen built tools, weapons and objects useful for daily life. In society, they formed the intermediate class, that is, halfway between the soldiers and the peasants.
- The peasants
Peasants occupied the penultimate place in society. They cultivated the land and raised animals. Their work was essential for the life and survival of the population.
- The slaves
They formed the lowest class of society. They were prisoners of war or poor people who could not pay their debts and therefore had lost their freedom. They were forced to work for their masters, without being paid. The slaves owned nothing.
The territories of the Sumerians they were fertile and attracted other nomadic peoples.
One of these peoples were the Babylonians , a nomadic population that came from the deserts of Arabia, south of Mesopotamia.