Ancient Mesopotamia

After reading chapter one, “Early Civilizations”, and spending some time navigating through the University of Chicago’s library site of Ancient Mesopotamia, I have come to appreciate the time period that we live in. A normal day in my life is not anywhere near as hard as it was for the average Mesopotamian. The Mesopotamians brought forth many changes. Before there were cities, in a time called the Paleolithic Period, they lived in open-air campsites and small caves. They hunted animals, fished and even collected exotic plants; and they even roamed around large areas of land using their own two feet as their only means of transportation. The Mesopotamians then made a transition from campsites and caves to circular structures called pit houses

Others depended on a kind of guardian angel who were believed to protect them. In contrast, we do not have nearly as many religious figures as the Mesopotamians had although, some people do believe in guardian angels today. In fact, I have a guardian angel on the visor in my car that was given to me from my grandmother. Speaking of women, the women in Mesopotamia had strictly defined roles. Women were rarely independent outside of their families. Only royal women or wives of rulers had the opportunity to be individuals aside from their families. Most girls were prepared for the roles of a wife, mother, and housekeeper since childhood. They learned how to cook and make drinks; and how to spin and weave cloth to make clothing. Young girls were prepared for marriage soon after puberty. The soon-to-be family members would arrange the marriage and if the girls soon-to-be husband died before the wedding, the girl would be married to another male relative or even one of his brothers. Although women today are still thought of as below men, the women today have much more freedom than those of Mesopotamia. As a female, I choose what I do when I wake up in the morning; I make my own plans for the day. I go out with my family or my friends. This is one of the many reasons why I am grateful for the technology and freedom that we have today. I am especially grateful for the opportunities I have