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The most influential characteristic of civilization in Mesopotamia was the government.

Government impacted mesopotamia by helping grow and advance civilization. Another reason Government impacted Mesopotamian society was by keeping the people and resources in order.

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According to Document 5 government, “Hammurabi conquered and united all the cities of Mesopotamia under his rule.”

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According to Document 5 Government, “ it created a set of rules that helped to govern a civilization while trying to protect people even if they had little political power.”

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However, some people might say that religion is the most influential characteristic of civilization in mesopotamia.  According to Document 5, Religion Article, “many religions have a creation myth; Mesopotamia’s went beyond creation to give people their purpose in life”. This shows the importance of religion for mesopotamia because without it morals would be much much lower. If people in Mesopotamia did not have a reason to live this could lead to chaos, destruction, and decreasing population. But with Religion mesopotamia people see a reason to live and to work hard with passion. This proves the importance and influence of religion in Mesopotamia..

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This evidence shows that because Hammurabi was the king and controlled the government, Mesopotamia was able to grow its population and gain more power. Meaning without Mesopotamia's government they would not be nearly as famous and successful. This proves why the Government was so influential to Mesopotamian society.

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This shows that in Mesopotamia there was imbalance between social classes and their punishment and justice. This proves government was the most important part of Mesopotamian society because this imbalance was crucial to securing a clear defiance between social classes and offered a valuable way to distribute power.

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This shows the effectiveness of Hammurabi's code. The code helped mesopotamia keep their people safe and content. Without this code the civilization could have been chaos and could have had crime and conflict left and right. This shows how much Mesopotamia relied on the government and how it truly was the most influential characteristic of society for Mesopotamia.

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According to 'Document 5 Goverment'  The lower classes of society were punished less harshly for breaking a law—unless their crime harmed someone above their social class. Hammurabi dictated more severe punishment in that instance. For example, if a rich person hurt an enslaved person, they would be fined. But if an enslaved person hurt a rich person, they would lose a hand or be put to death."