Mesopotamia Economic System
By: Connor B, Conor P, Audrey L, Addie L, and Sophie M.
Mesopotamia was a very advanced first civilization located near modern Turkey between the Euphrates and Tigris rivers. It was a land full of intelligent people and resources some of which are still used today. The influence and things Mesopotamians did still affect our lives so please find the information below helpful of your learning about this civilization who was a huge impact.
How Goods Were Produced and Payed For
The Mesopotamian people relied a lot on farming to make the goods and products that they used to survive and trade with to get goods that they couldn't produce themselves. One good that the Mesopotamian people relied on was flax seed, and it was grown annually. Flax was used to produce nets, cloth, linseed oil, meal, and even many pharmaceuticals. Another important good was the date palm. The date palm supplied fibers, fodder, wood, and rich food. Date palms also helped trade and helped make Mesopotamia a very rich and powerful leader in international trade. A third important good is the olive tree. It was used to make medicines, perfume bases, lamp fuel, and most of all cooking. Some other goods were leeks, lentils, onions, wheat, barley, spices, herbs, wine, and fruit like figs. Knowing all about the goods that were produced you are probably wondering how did the ancient Mesopotamian people pay for those goods? They used silver rings as currency about 2000 years before the first coins struck. Once the first coins struck, people who lived in the Fertile Crescent before the rise of the first cities employed five token types that represented different amounts of the three main traded goods. Those were grain, human labor, and livestock. There ended up being 16 main types of tokens and dozens of sub categories for things like honey, trussed duck, sheep milk, rope, garments, bread, textiles, furniture, mats, beds, perfume, metals, ect. The Mesopotamian people really kept themselves busy by farming and crafting goods to keep them alive.
The Mesopotamian people relied a lot on farming to make the goods and products that they used to survive and trade with to get goods that they couldn't produce themselves. One good that the Mesopotamian people relied on was flax seed, and it was grown annually. Flax was used to produce nets, cloth, linseed oil, meal, and even many pharmaceuticals. Another important good was the date palm. The date palm supplied fibers, fodder, wood, and rich food. Date palms also helped trade and helped make Mesopotamia a very rich and powerful leader in international trade. A third important good is the olive tree. It was used to make medicines, perfume bases, lamp fuel, and most of all cooking. Some other goods were leeks, lentils, onions, wheat, barley, spices, herbs, wine, and fruit like figs. Knowing all about the goods that were produced you are probably wondering how did the ancient Mesopotamian people pay for those goods? They used silver rings as currency about 2000 years before the first coins struck. Once the first coins struck, people who lived in the Fertile Crescent before the rise of the first cities employed five token types that represented different amounts of the three main traded goods. Those were grain, human labor, and livestock. There ended up being 16 main types of tokens and dozens of sub categories for things like honey, trussed duck, sheep milk, rope, garments, bread, textiles, furniture, mats, beds, perfume, metals, ect. The Mesopotamian people really kept themselves busy by farming and crafting goods to keep them alive.
The Trading, Transporting, and Innovations of Goods
Trade was a big factorization in the development of ancient Mesopotamia because it showed and innovated new products to trade and others used for the transportation of goods. One of the earliest ways to transport it was by caravan, this was a group of travelers going by foot. Boats were also a common way of transportation, pulled into long docks, making it easier to load and unload goods. Citizens also discovered that using animals, mainly donkeys was also an efficient way of transporting goods. Other than transportation there was also the innovations of what to trade in order to get what they needed. Many oils, textiles, foods and animals, hard stones, metals, timber, and wines were all common goods used to trade in order to accommodate to their needs. Weather the citizens there needed a particular animal, type of cloth, or food it was all possible through trading with near by communities and towns. Inventions back then could drastically change the way of life the wheel, an innovation used for the transportation of goods was quite helpful. The wheel was a jointed together with a combination of planks and wood in the early uses. The first recordings of uses of it was in 3500 B.C., it was often connecting for transportation (of people) to types of vehicles called chariots. Wheels when first invented were used as pottery, and the potter's wheel was used transport people and other wheels and pots. Overall the trading, transporting, and innovations of goods made many contributions to the evolution of Mesopotamia and it's civilization.
Trade was a big factorization in the development of ancient Mesopotamia because it showed and innovated new products to trade and others used for the transportation of goods. One of the earliest ways to transport it was by caravan, this was a group of travelers going by foot. Boats were also a common way of transportation, pulled into long docks, making it easier to load and unload goods. Citizens also discovered that using animals, mainly donkeys was also an efficient way of transporting goods. Other than transportation there was also the innovations of what to trade in order to get what they needed. Many oils, textiles, foods and animals, hard stones, metals, timber, and wines were all common goods used to trade in order to accommodate to their needs. Weather the citizens there needed a particular animal, type of cloth, or food it was all possible through trading with near by communities and towns. Inventions back then could drastically change the way of life the wheel, an innovation used for the transportation of goods was quite helpful. The wheel was a jointed together with a combination of planks and wood in the early uses. The first recordings of uses of it was in 3500 B.C., it was often connecting for transportation (of people) to types of vehicles called chariots. Wheels when first invented were used as pottery, and the potter's wheel was used transport people and other wheels and pots. Overall the trading, transporting, and innovations of goods made many contributions to the evolution of Mesopotamia and it's civilization.
Writing in ancient Mesopotamia
In 3500 B.C.E, the Sumerians invented this thing called writing. It began as symbols and pictures but throughout the ages it became more abstract. This system was inconvenient for understanding anything other than real-life objects and not actions. The complex civilization of Mesopotamia encouraged the development of an increasingly sophisticated form of writing is called cuneiform. The Sumerians used a clay stylus to make designs in the clay tablet. Writing was a big step in ancient civilization because it allowed ideas to be carried to distant places without having to rely on a messengers memory. Like all inventions, writing was created because there a need for it. Later cuneiform was used all over the North East of the world a long time ago. 5,500 years ago to be precise.
In 3500 B.C.E, the Sumerians invented this thing called writing. It began as symbols and pictures but throughout the ages it became more abstract. This system was inconvenient for understanding anything other than real-life objects and not actions. The complex civilization of Mesopotamia encouraged the development of an increasingly sophisticated form of writing is called cuneiform. The Sumerians used a clay stylus to make designs in the clay tablet. Writing was a big step in ancient civilization because it allowed ideas to be carried to distant places without having to rely on a messengers memory. Like all inventions, writing was created because there a need for it. Later cuneiform was used all over the North East of the world a long time ago. 5,500 years ago to be precise.
The Roles in the Economy
People were a considerably large part of the Mesopotamian economy, along with animals that helped out humans. Trade was considered a crucial part because it was a very simple way to communicate with others, meanwhile getting the goods or objects needed back at home and humans had to do this job. Sometimes, there would also be bargains between people and they would all trade for free so this job wouldn't even cost money. In order for some of this trade to happen, meat may have been needed and animals or livestock had to contribute to this part. Lots of ancient jewelry, tools or even paints had animal bones in it so they were definitely needed to artisans who created these things. To think back at this, it was cruel for us to do this when the innocent creatures don't even understand what is happening and also, they were used for our beauty and pleasure.
People were a considerably large part of the Mesopotamian economy, along with animals that helped out humans. Trade was considered a crucial part because it was a very simple way to communicate with others, meanwhile getting the goods or objects needed back at home and humans had to do this job. Sometimes, there would also be bargains between people and they would all trade for free so this job wouldn't even cost money. In order for some of this trade to happen, meat may have been needed and animals or livestock had to contribute to this part. Lots of ancient jewelry, tools or even paints had animal bones in it so they were definitely needed to artisans who created these things. To think back at this, it was cruel for us to do this when the innocent creatures don't even understand what is happening and also, they were used for our beauty and pleasure.
What People were Important in the Economy
People that were central to the economy include workers and farmers, government leaders, and traders. Workers and farmers were central to the economy because without them they would be no goods to trade. And without trading happening there would be many problems like not everybody having the thing they need to survive or there will be no specialization in labor because everybody needs everything. Government leaders are crucial because if you have something valuable who's going to stop another person from robbing you. Or if you're angry at someone you could just kill them. If it was just a madhouse of everyone just protecting themselves and/or taking from others, there will be no time to grow the crops and collect the living essentials. With any of these people not involved in the economy there would be a struggle for life. Traders were essential to the economy because without them there would be no way to get goods from one town to another without everybody in the town going to that town and trading. This would be a problem because the town would be vulnerable to be robbed or destroyed. Also, it would be inconvenient to.
People that were central to the economy include workers and farmers, government leaders, and traders. Workers and farmers were central to the economy because without them they would be no goods to trade. And without trading happening there would be many problems like not everybody having the thing they need to survive or there will be no specialization in labor because everybody needs everything. Government leaders are crucial because if you have something valuable who's going to stop another person from robbing you. Or if you're angry at someone you could just kill them. If it was just a madhouse of everyone just protecting themselves and/or taking from others, there will be no time to grow the crops and collect the living essentials. With any of these people not involved in the economy there would be a struggle for life. Traders were essential to the economy because without them there would be no way to get goods from one town to another without everybody in the town going to that town and trading. This would be a problem because the town would be vulnerable to be robbed or destroyed. Also, it would be inconvenient to.
In conclusion, lots of people or groups of Mesopotamians were needed to help out their civilization. In order to make their community complete though, new inventions, animals, crops, and language had to do their job too. This was a striving community who kept alive for many years.
Some other cool things that we looked at are:
Website on the Wheel:
http://linoit.com/users/AshtonGriffith/canvases/Mesopotamian%20Wheel
Youtube Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=84y2q4giihY
Games On Mesopotamia:
http://www.mesopotamia.co.uk/trade/challenge/cha_set.html
http://www.softschools.com/quizzes/social_studies/mesopotamia/quiz284.html
Website on the Wheel:
http://linoit.com/users/AshtonGriffith/canvases/Mesopotamian%20Wheel
Youtube Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=84y2q4giihY
Games On Mesopotamia:
http://www.mesopotamia.co.uk/trade/challenge/cha_set.html
http://www.softschools.com/quizzes/social_studies/mesopotamia/quiz284.html