Ancient River Valley Civilisation: Mesopotamia

The Mesopotamians believed in the Divine Right Theory of Kingship, i.e, kings and queens descended from the gods.

Mesopotamian society was broadly divided into three parts.

1. The upper-end of the society consisted of the king and members of the royal family, the priests and high officials.
2. The middle level consisted of the farmers, artisans and traders.
3. At the lower-end were the slaves.

The Mesopotamian cities were divided into three parts — the sacred area, the walled city on a mound and the outer town. In the center of a town, a sacred area called the ziggurat was built. At the top of a ziggurat was a temple, dedicated to the patron god of the city. Offices and storehouses were built in the sacred area. The walled city and the outer town were residential areas. Houses of different sizes were built. Some houses had a central courtyard with rooms around it.

Agriculture, fishing and domesticating animals were the occupations practised by the Mesopotamians.

Two architectural structures built by the Mesopotamians are — Ziggurats and Hanging Gardens of Babylon.

between the rivers.

Sumerian.

three

agriculture.

by volume.

true.

i-b, ii-c, iii-a

1. A Ziggurat resembles a human-made mountain soaring high above the Earth.
2. Each ziggurat had several stories and apart from the temple at the top, they were used as schools, observatories, granaries and centres for trade.

Both 1 and 2

Reason — The Epic of Gilgamesh shows Mesopotamian beliefs about gods, kings, and life. The Standard of Ur gives a picture of war, peace, social life, and culture. Together, they help us understand Mesopotamian society, its values, and way of life.

Both 1 and 2

Reason — The Mesopotamian Civilisation declined because of natural forces. The soil became less fertile, and people lost their means of livelihood and moved away. Some historians also mention invasions by the Hittites of Anatolia. In the end, sandstorms buried the civilisation under the desert.