Civilization DBQ

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Civilization is not beneficial to humanity because the political leaders could abuse the general public, social barriers developed, and there were problems with agriculture.

Civilization created political hierarchies with a single ruler who could punish the masses. Harsh punishment was given for disobeying rigid laws. In the Code of Hammurabi the third law states,“If any one bring an accusation of any crime before the elders, and does not prove what he has charged, he shall, if it be a capital offense charged, be put to death.” (Document 6: The Code of Hammurabi). There are varying degrees of lies ranging from little white lies to a completely new life story. The law does not specify how extreme a false accusation has to be to in order …show more content…

Society formed three main social groups. This new social pyramid is executed in Image 2 (Document 1: The Royal Standard of Ur). The mosaic artwork depicts three scenes stacked upon each other in horizontal strips. At the bottom men are burdened with heavy sacks of food on their backs. These people are apart the lowest social rank: workers and slaves. The picture above illustrates the second tier of the society are farmers, probably the middle class, as people leading animals and carrying fish. On the top is a king, large in size compared to the others in the image, and his subjects at a party enjoying drinks and live music. The main social classes were the wealthy and powerful, agriculturalists, and the lachrymose workers. Social status determined housing conditions. A clear example of social division is Image A: Early Egyptian City. The illustration is divided into two sections. On one side of the Egyptian city there are small, crude buildings conglomerated together. These buildings are inhabited by the poor. On the opposite side of the picture, the buildings are more defined and a majority are spread farther apart. Some buildings are even standing on an individual plot of land. This is the affluent part of the city. Those who were less fortunate lived shoulder to shoulder, while the rich lived separate from them in more spacious

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