Sumerian civilization in present-day Iraq was one of the first societies in the world to create a social class system. At the top of the social hierarchy was the ruling family. Each city-state had a king and an aristocratic class that consisted primarily of the royal family. Also highly regarded in Sumerian city-states were the priests that were responsible for keeping the gods happy. They were in the upper classes and close in importance to the royal family. A middle class emerged that consisted of warriors, scribes, merchants, and artisans. Trade was very important in Mesopotamia and merchants could acquire wealth through trading with other city-states. They had to work very hard for this wealth.
The lower classes in Mesopotamia consisted of farmers. While they were very important to the city-states, they were not highly regarded. A penal slave class existed below the farmers on the social hierarchy.
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