Economy in Mesopotamia Rowan and Vanessa

Agriculture Able to take advantage of flooding to produce high grain yields 3 major crops: barley, dates, and sesame seeds First to harness animals to ploughs Added seed drills to ploughs Made use of a system of dams and canals to irrigate crops Farming land limited to narrow band along rivers To prevent grazing, animals raised in pens Land around city-states belonged to a god, owned by temples, leased by priests Farmers expected to give 1/3 of proceeds to King, 1/3 to god of city-state

Industry Workrooms in and around ziggurats Tanners prepared animal skins, carpenters made tools, weavers produced fabrics and textiles, metalworkers made bowls, statues, tools Overseers supervised all crafts to ensure the highest quality Scribes recorded accounts of the industries/inventory

Trade Trade along Tigris and Euphrates rivers and coast of Arabia/India Boats made of reeds and inflated goatskin Overcame swift currents and sandbanks Acquired stone from Africa, copper from Cyprus, gold from Egypt, cedar from Lebanon Traded wool, jewelry, cloth, grains, oil

King Urukagina King of Lagash Between 2500-2360 BCE, priests charged high taxes on crops, confiscated land from those who couldn’t pay Took notice of unfair system Took over taxing power of priests Returned land to farmers Later, during time of Babylonian empire, individuals allowed to own lots of land around cities