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This diagram represents the five social classes that were prevalent in Ancient Mesopotamia.  They dictated the level of respect given to a person.

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Due to the increase in trade and creation of many occupations there became a economic divide in Mesopotamia.  This began the division of upper and lower class.  Additionally, political privileges further divided the nation.  Kings, religious leaders, and those in positions of power were treated much better than a commoner.  All citizens followed the same religion and the government ruled on the basis of religion.  In society, men were seen as the head of the household and women were seen as second class citizens.  Social classes (sorted from most respected to least respected) consisted of Kings and Nobility, Priests and Priestesses, Upper class, Lower class, and slaves.
- Courtney Benkin

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Ziggurats were the uppermost portion of the temples. Even though that the purpose of the ziggurats are still a mystery, they were reached by stairs and ramps.

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Religion was an important part of Mesopotamia. In Mesopotamia traditions a cult performed religious practices and showed their faith and belief to their gods through performing in a cult. A cult performed the religious practices that were evident in the temples. The Sumerian culture had many gods depending on the forces of nature(ex. Anu - sky, Enki - water, Ninhursag - rock or ground/ earth,  Inanna - war, sex, and fertility). Mesopotamians thought that the gods were anthropomorphic meaning that they came in human form and they were feared and said to be the cause of natural disasters and the Mesopotamians went to meet their standards. A temple was said to be their god’s house and was taken care of. Priests took care of every aspect of the temple and were there to please the gods through music and other religious beliefs. Ziggurats were structures of the temples that were built up by ramps and stairs but the purpose of the ziggurats are unknown. Amulets were charms that were said to protect an user from evils. Mesopotamians believed that diseases were from the devil and other evil based situations (ex. headaches were from demons). Mesopotamians believed that sacrifices and gifts could make a deity give a civilian information about the future.
- Ethan Alex

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The Law Code of Hammurabi was inscribed on a polished black stone pillar. 282 rules that set social standards, fines and punishments to meet justice.

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Mesopotamia was ran by Kings. There was no centralized government but, each King ran their own city-state. Each King applied laws, and systems that would seem most beneficial to them. The King was the seen to be the most powerful in the city. They were expected to provide protection and safety, and to provide law, and order for their city. Government officials and Priests came second in power, they were equal to the king in power and honor. As there was no centralized government, each city-state was likely to fight each other for resources. Some city-states, for example Sargon, became powerful enough to dominate other city-states and take control of multiple.
- Keira Leung

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In this drawing, it shows a group of mesopotamian men and women bringing items that appear to be bricks over a brick wall.

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Mesopotamians commoners were carters, brick makers, carpenters, fishermen, soldiers, tradesmen, bakers, stone carvers, potters, weavers, and leather workers.
- Zach Silver

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These are the earliest versions of the sail boat and the wheel.

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Ancient Mesopotamians were very advanced when it came to technology and inventions.  Some famous examples of impactful inventions made by Mesopotamia's include: the wheel, the sailboat, the chariot, the plow, maps, mathematics, the crossword puzzle, and many advanced tools for hunting and agriculture.
-Courtney Benkin

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The two Semitic Languages commonly used in Mesopotamia were Akkadian, and Sumerian. These helped develop dictionaries and literature which helped the earliest writing schools teach so that the students learning could become scribes. Scribes being professional writers. The writing system, based on the Sumerian language, is called cuneiform and they taught writing on clay taxes.
- Melody Ho

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This image, shows the different trade routes that merchants took to reach other civilizations.

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Some cities traded for materials and long distance trade was common in the 5000 BCE through the evidence of boats. Goods such as wool, barley and vegetable oil were shipped in exchange for other items such as wood from present day Syria and Lebanon. Each country produced their own goods, Anatolia produced and exported silver, while Egypt produced and shipped gold, Afghanistan exported tin, gems and stones were exported by present day Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iran, and copper was shipped by present day Oman and other cities in the Arabian peninsula. Merchants who were part in guilds were part of a large association that included merchants who usually traded foods like vegetables for luxury items like precious and valuable stones and other items with kings.
- Ethan Alex

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Depictions of Mesopotamian drainage systems around houses and fields.

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Irrigation and drainage systems emerged because of the flooding of houses and crops. Drainage ditches were built for and around houses. Dams, dikes, and channels helped lead the water away froms into drainage systems, saving the crops.  These systems were a vital part of Mesopotamia.

- Melody Ho

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In this photo, Mesopotamians are picking out wheat, barley cucumbers and other different foods from a farm. 

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To get food Mesopotamians had a couple of ways to be able to feed their families. They were able to farm, hunt and fish. As centuries went by, the  Mesopotamians invented more tools to help them gather food. For example, they used sickles with metal blades to cut down sheaves or bundles of wheat. They also fished. They used points of spears and arrows of flint and obsidian. They also used fish-hedges, traps and baskets to fish. The Mesopotamians also used tools such as spears, maces, axes, adzes, and bows and arrows to hunt.
- Zach Silver

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4000-year-old Mesopotamian City discovered on the banks of the Great Zab River in Kurdistan.

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Mesopotamia means "land between the rivers" in Greek. This name relates to the land between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. Mesopotamian civilization developed in the plain alongside and between the two rivers, which originate in the mountains, in present day what we call Turkey, and empty into the Persian Gulf. To the north and east, an arc of mountains extends from northern Syria and southeastern Anatolia to the Zagros Mountains. The climate of this region is semi-arid with the Syrian and Arabian deserts that lie to the west and southwest, and the Persian Gulf to the southeast.
- Keira Leung