The Effects of Modernization

When comparing the first city of Uruk to the kingdom of Babylon, one can see that civilizations in the ancient near east changed greatly. Such developments can be seen in the economy of the kingdom as well as the social class system.

In Uruk, barley was the main cash crop. The irrigation systems and other agricultural technologies (such as the threshing sledge, plows, clay sickles, etc) were all designed for use on barley. However, in the kingdom of Babylon, dates were also heavily relied upon as well as barely. Actually, many barley farms were transformed into date groves because dates were far more profitable than barley as a result of how they needed a lot less care and effort to grow. Also, in Liverani’s Uruk, the only livestock mentioned was sheep, which were raised by shepherds in the hills around the city. In Babylon, sheep were still the main livestock, but they also raised cattle. Some sheep were still raised in the hills of Upper Mesopotamia, but some were raised in the temple sheds in the actual cities. Plus, individual families also had their own sheep and cattle.

Also, in Babylon, there was the development of social classes. In Uruk, there was the temple and then the people. Among the people, there were free people and there were people who provided forced labor. Those who provided forced labor were either corveé laborers or slaves. Slaves were usually women and children who were prisoners of war or oblates. However, in Babylon, we see the development or high social stratification; there was still only the two categories of free people and slaves, but more divisions within the category of “free people” developed. Free people were either people who were autonomous or those who had to rely on a superior for support (such as the temple, palace, or private person). The slaves were no longer only prisoners of war or oblates; some were children that were sold into slavery b their parents, widows, orphans, and illegitimate children. The free people were made up of the dependants and the urban notables. The dependants worked on privately owned lands or temple or palace lands and could have lands of their own. For these reasons, their freedom of movement was restricted. The notables were “notable” because of their family lineage. These people made up the elite of Babylon. They were well educated and would have duties in the royal court or were businessmen.