Banylonian Social Structure

Sergiusz Jurkevich

People of all genders were captured in wars, as slaves to raise the slave population. Adding to that pirates attacked ships navigating on the river from the river to take their goods, and sell passengers for slavery in Babylonia. Slaves were the builders of roads, bridges and canals that were needed in the empire. Many fenced the farm land along the side for peasant farmers to keep intruders out. Other slaves were serving in the temples. For that they made food for the priests. They were also in charge of taking care and maintaining temples and buildings. Priests also rented out their slaves to peasants and others and the money they earned off of renting slaves they would spend for temple purposes such as maintenance and others. Slaves also got all they need to live beginning on food money and a day for when they can go to the market and stuff and ending on medical car having a family and being able to run a private life etc. Most Mesopotamians were farmers. The rest of the society, from artisans and merchants to priests and kings, depended on production from farm fields. Other than the important job of farmers, they were almost at the bottom of the social ladder. Most peasant farmers farmed land owned by temples and other important places but some had land of their own.

Ancient Mesopotamians believed that illnesses were caused by bad gods and bad powers as well as demons. They thought that those were there punishments from gods. There were two types of doctors that offered two different cures. The first one was Ashipus that one relied on magic. The other one they studied the patients symptoms and the performed rituals and incantations to get the visiting demon out. These doctors referred to medical texts that were an outline to purge the demons responsible for specific conditions. To heal a patient that has epilepsy, one script suggested, the doctor should put "The little finger of a dead man, rancid oil and place a piece of copper in to the skin of a virgin goat; You should string it to a tendon of the gerbil and string it around his neck, and he will get better. Asus did somewhat more practical from medicine. The texts used by this healer put on list medications to treat many illnesses including headaches, ear infections, lice, tonsillitis and small pox. Remedies were mainly made from herbs and other plants. As asu might apply his medicines in ointments and pasts pastes and potions for the patient to drink. Bad or wired tasting medications were often dissolved in beer. Trade helped in fixing up the Babylonian economy. Lots of different artisans used materials from distant lands. The arts also sprung and showed its amazingness. Writers made historical poems, some of them survived till this day. As all people the Babylonians needed entertainment. As you know there was always time that was left for leisure activities so Mesopotamians started making games, board games sports and other activities. For the vast majority of ancient Mesopotamians that needed to entertain themselves in their native communities, hazard and gambling was always a favorite pas time.

Babylon had a whole social structure. Starting with a king at the top and slaves at the bottom. Between there were nobles meaning the free citizens and those in the military and civil service. Mobility from one level to another was really hard to do but it was possible. The debt slave had the possibility of using the money he gets as a slave to pay his depth and buy his freedom. Next was the awilu was a free person of the upper class. After that the there was the wardu, or slave. Last was mushkenu, a free person of low estate who did stuff between the awilu and wardu. If a family had economic crises they could rent their wife husband or a family member as a slave. The bad par is that adults you send for sometimes and you can do it to children. But the worst part is that you could have sold your children as slaves forever not rent but sell just one transaction and first of all you lose your child forever and you do not get any extra benefit other than the big one time transaction. And you could not have done this to adults.