6 th Grade UBD Unit 3 Mesopotamian Society
6 th Grade UBD - Unit 3 - Mesopotamian Society
Preview � Mesopotamian Religion- Mesopotamians were polytheists. They worshiped many different gods connected to nature and to particular aspects of life. � A Social Pyramid- Mesopotamian society was organized into a social pyramid. Your place on the pyramid was determined by your work. Most people stayed at the level they were born at for their entire lives. � A Series of Conquests- Mesopotamia was a rich land that many people sought to conquer.
Reach Into Your Background � In Mesopotamian society people had many different roles. This created a vibrant civilization. How does religion and gender influence life today? (5 minutes)
Partner Activity �Work with a neighbor and compare your answer with theirs. What things are the same and what things are different? (3 minutes)
Key Ideas- Mesopotamian Religion �Mesopotamia was one of the earliest civilizations to have an organized religion. Their religion helped to shape their society and culture. �Mesopotamian city-states built ziggurats to worship their gods. �Mesopotamians believed that their kings were chosen by the gods.
Religion in Mesopotamia � Religion played an important role in the daily life of ancient Mesopotamians. � The Mesopotamians believed in polytheism. � Each god or goddess was in charge of a part of nature or daily life.
Religion in Mesopotamia � The Mesopotamians wanted to honor their gods and goddesses and make sure they stayed in the city. � So the people built large religious monuments called ziggurats.
Religion in Mesopotamia � To keep the gods and goddesses happy, Mesopotamians left offerings, or gifts, for them. � The gifts also were given to ask the gods to send blessings.
Key Term Civilization- A ancient religious structure built in the major cities of Mesopotamia that are similar to the pyramids.
Mesopotamian Ziggurats Reading Handout- Mesopotamian Ziggurats
Key Ideas- A Social Pyramid � People from all levels of Mesopotamian society were important to the success of the civilization, but different groups had different amounts of power. � The king was the most important political and religious figure. � Enslaved people were at the bottom of the social pyramid. They had no power.
Key Term Social Pyramid- A way of illustrating the social organization of a particular society. The people with the most wealth are at the top. The people with the least money and the lowest social position are on the bottom.
Marks of Civilization � There are several marks of civilization. One of them is that work is specialized. � Everyone contributes in some way to help meet society’s needs, but people do not have to do everything for themselves.
A Social Pyramid � Mesopotamian kings held a great deal of political and religious power. � They determined the laws, collected taxes, and organized labor for large projects such as digging irrigation ditches.
A Social Pyramid � Mesopotamian people viewed their kings as conduits to their gods, so kings were also responsible for religious ceremonies. � Religion gave kings the authority to rule, and in return kings fulfilled religious obligations.
A Social Pyramid � Mesopotamia developed a stratified social-class society. � A person’s work determined his or her place in Mesopotamian society. � The higher social levels had the fewest people.
A Social Pyramid � The king, priests, and other important leaders made up the top tier of Mesopotamian society. � Scribes and other merchants were a step below the top tier, and peasants and slaves were found at the bottom layer of the social pyramid.
Artisans �Artisans specialized in making various goods. �Mesopotamia had bakers, iron workers, potters, and weavers.
How It's Made Bread Video- How It's Made Bread
Scribes � Scribes were also important members of society. � They were the record keepers. � They spent years learning to read and write cuneiform, the writing system used in Mesopotamia.
Key Term Cuneiform- A system of writing that was widely used in the ancient Middle East.
Farmers � Peasants farmed the land surrounding the cities. � They sold their extra food to people living in the cities. � Farmers also gave a certain amount of their crops to the king.
The Role of Women � In all social classes, men held more rights and responsibilities than women. � Most of Mesopotamia’s religious and political leaders were men.
The Role of Women � In addition, men made household decisions. Men decided everything from what work would be done to whom their children would marry. � Women had little power in Mesopotamian society, although they were granted some rights.
The Role of Women � Women’s roles in society were those of daughter, wife, or mother. � Women usually did not learn to read or write. � Instead, mothers taught their girls how to be good wives and mothers.
Mesopotamian Women Reading Handout- Mesopotamian Women
Key Ideas- A Series of Conquests �Mesopotamia many natural resources made it a good place to live. It was also a valuable land for leaders to conquer and rule. �The history of Mesopotamia is marked by four great empires. Between each empire’s rule and the next, there were moments of disorder before another leader conquered the region.
Conquering Mesopotamia � Mesopotamia was conquered by many empires, from the Akkadians all the way through the Neo-Babylonians. � Mesopotamia was a valuable land for conquerors due to its rich land well-traveled trade routes.
A Series of Empires � The Akkadian Empire was the first major empire in Mesopotamia. Sargon was the first king of the Akkadian Empire. � The Babylonian Empire conquered much of Mesopotamia after the fall of the Akkadian Empire.
A Series of Empires � The Assyrian Empire was the largest of the four empires. The Assyrians conquered other lands easily, but they had difficulty controlling their vast empire. � The Neo-Babylonian Empire, replaced the Assyrian Empire. Although it was not as large as the Assyrian Empire it was very powerful.
Conquering Mesopotamia � Because Mesopotamia had rich agricultural land a lively culture, many different empires conquered it. � Each empire had an effect on the culture of Mesopotamia while also adopting certain parts of Mesopotamian culture.
Independent Activity � What has been the “muddiest” point so far in this lesson? That is, what topic remains the least clear to you? (4 minutes)
Partner Activity �Work with a neighbor and compare your muddiest point with theirs. Compare what things are the same and what things are different? (3 minutes)
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