ch.2 L16 pp.27-32

​​Social Classes - Different levels of a culture into which people are divided

• Upper Class: the ruler, governmental officials, priests

• Middle Class:​ Farmers, fishermen, merchants, traders, skilled workers (largest social class)

• Lowest Class: slaves​ (included prisoners of war and criminals)

Why do you think societies develop social classes?​

​Sumerian Society

​

Multiple Choice

The Sumerian people were divided into how many different social classes?

• 2

• 3

• 5

• 6

Multiple Choice

What was the largest social class in the Sumerian society?

• Upper Class

• Middle Class

• Slaves

• All classes were the same size

​Fisherman,Merchants, and Traders

• The Sumerians were among the first people to use ​sails for harnessing the wind to move boats

• Boats were used for trading and commercial fishing

• Docks were important places for businessmen and sailors to conduct their business

• Gems, wood, stone, and metal were imported because there were very few natural resources in Sumer​

Subject | Subject

Why do you think the people of Sumer made fish an important part of their diet?

Multiple Choice

The Sumerians were among the first to use what for helping boats move?

• Oars

• Paddles

• Sails

• Ropes

​Trade in Sumer

• Early trade in Sumer was conducted by barter

• Barter: ​A trading system in which people exchange goods without money

• Trade helped city-states grow in wealth and power

• The Sumerians kept careful records of their business dealings

• Scribes: People who recorded information in writing

• Reed Stylus: A pointed writing tool used by scribes to write down sales on soft clay tablets

Subject | Subject

Why were other people willing to trade with Sumer?

• Small clay seals shaped like cylinders​

• Had carvings that identified the owner

• A fast, simple way to sign one's name

• The mark of a cylinder seal stood either for approval​, as on a legal document, or for ownership, as on goods ready to be shipped.

​

​Why did merchants use a cylinder seal instead of a stylus to sign their names?

​Cylinder Seals

​

Multiple Choice

What did merchants use to sign their names to finalize a business deal?

• a pen

• their finger

• a stylus

• a cylinder seal

​Artisans and Buyers

• ​Artisans: Skilled craftmen who turned raw materials into finished goods

• These products made up most of of Sumer's exports

• Artisans contributed to economic stability in Ur by producing goods for everyday use (jewelry, pottery, clothing)

• Sumerians were possibly the first people to use the wheel to make clay pots.

• The potter's wheel allowed a potter to produce pots of uniform size and shape faster than before

Subject | Subject

Why were imported goods important to artisans?

• ​A special craft in Ur

• An artisan would use white shells from the​ river and arrange them in a design like pieces of a puzzle.

• Pressed pieces into softened tar​

​​Shell Inlay

​

• ​A bright blue stone

• After the main design was finished, ian artisan might surround it with lapis lazuli

• A shell inlay artist had to be patient and careful.​

Lapis Lazuli

​

• Discoverd by Sir Leonard Woolley while excavating Ur

• The artisan who made the box used shell inlay

• This piece is one of the earliest representations of a Sumerian army.

Is the Standard of Ur a primary or secondary source? Why?

​The Standard of Ur

​

Multiple Choice

Who were the skilled craftmen who turned raw materials into finished goods?

• Artisans

• Fishermen

• Merchants

• Nobles

Match

Match the following

• social class

• scribe

• cylinder seal

• artisan

• stylus

different levels of culture into which people are divided

people who recorded information in writing

use as a quick way to sign your name

a skilled craftsmen

a writing tool

• different levels of culture into which people are divided

• people who recorded information in writing

• use as a quick way to sign your name

• a skilled craftsmen

• a writing tool