Priests and KingsPriests were the highest class. The priests were the people that made sure everyone behaved in a way that the gods they worshipped would like. They believed that the gods would do something horrible to them if they didn't do what they liked, so this was a very important job to them. Also, this class includes kings. The kings are responsible for leading the Sumerians wisely. They are the wealthiest people in Sumer and have the hardest jobs. This social class existed because Sumer needed everyone to behave ad act in an orderly fashion. The priests and kings were there to create the rules and laws and to oversee the way Sumerians behaved. The priests and kings were identified by the fancy clothes and jewelry they wore. The priests wore long, elegant robes and sandals, and the kings wore similar clothing, wearing long, woolen robes. Also, you could identify this class by their hair. Sumerian priests shaved their heads, but kings usually had a lot of facial hair. You could move up to the priest's class by working hard and earning more money, but to be a king you had to be a man, and you had to come from a royal family. Because the priests and kings were the highest class, you could not move up from it. Even in the highest social class of Sumer, men had more power than women, which were called priestesses. Priests received a good education, for they had to be intelligent and literate to make laws and rules for their civilization. Priests and kings did not have much free or leisure time, because they were constantly working, but when they did, they would go to temples and worship the gods, for they wanted the gods to be pleased with them. The kings did not have any leisure time, because their responsibility was too great.
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Upper ClassThe upper class was the second highest class next to Priests and Kings. You could tell who was in the upper class because they dressed very nicely and followed all of the present trends. The men in this class had long hair and trimmed breads and mustaches. The women wore skirts, dresses, gold jewelry, their hair pinned up or in braids, and fancy, delicate sanda The most common jobs were scribes and administrators. The men had a good education because they would be the scribes and administrators, and the women had basic education. The upper class had enough money to afford slaves that would do their labor work for them. If someone wanted to move up into a higher class, (such as upper class) they could work hard and the King might let them move up into the next class. They would spend their free time trading with others, dance and sing, played with board games, and buy the goods they needed. There were social classes because some jobs required more effort and need more education.
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Middle ClassThe middle class people in a civilization were the merchants, artisans, farmers and fishers. The merchants would trade items with others. Artisans made different products that they specialized in making. Farmers provided crops and fishers provided fish. The men received more education than women in this class. A middle class person could be identified by their clothing, they wouldn't have poor clothing but they wouldn't have fancy. They could also be identified by their jewelry, hair, and property. In their free time, they would sew, cook, play board games etc. Even though they weren't in the higher classes, they still enjoyed a very nice life.
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Lower ClassThe lower class had to work very hard and although they didn't live a life of luxury they had a very comfortable life. They kept up with fashion in clothing and had some jewelry made of less popular materials. Some lower class people would be fisherman, pottery makers, and farmers. These people could move up the classes by getting better jobs or earning an extreme amount of money. Even if these people went into debt they could get out by selling their wife an children into slavery. Since these people got almost no free time and they had to work long hours, they were spent all there time in the market place or making food. They didn't have the money or the time to purchase and play the board games. Their average house was one story and was made of sun-dried mud bricks. The windows(if any) were small to keep out the cold of the winter. Overall the lower class was not poor yet had to work hard for long hours.
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Slaves
The slaves are the lowest class. Slaves were brought back from the victor of the war between city-states. Anyone could become a slave. You could also become a slave if you went into debt, were a criminal, or made a serious crime. Slaves were bought, sold, traded and did not have rights. Mainly, slaves did manual labor in the owners house and sometimes helped the priests. All slaves were identified by a specific haircut and there were harsh consequences if that hair was cut. The person who cut the slaves hair, was automatically sentenced to be hung and so was the slave, if it was found.
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Social Class Quiz
What type of people were in the highest class?
a. artisans
b. priests, kings
c. farmers
d. slaves
How could people move from class to class?
a. hard work
b. if they asked
c. sneaking in
d. dress like a higher class
Who received the most education?
a. women
b. dogs
c. men
d. undomesticated animals
How could you identify different classes?
a. jewelry
b. clothing
c. hair
d. all of the above
Click here for Quiz Answers
Made by: Melina S., Angie B., Easton G.,
Trevor T., William K.
What type of people were in the highest class?
a. artisans
b. priests, kings
c. farmers
d. slaves
How could people move from class to class?
a. hard work
b. if they asked
c. sneaking in
d. dress like a higher class
Who received the most education?
a. women
b. dogs
c. men
d. undomesticated animals
How could you identify different classes?
a. jewelry
b. clothing
c. hair
d. all of the above
Click here for Quiz Answers
Made by: Melina S., Angie B., Easton G.,
Trevor T., William K.