Mesopotamia derives from Greek words meaning "between the rivers". The area was positioned between the two rivers, the Tigris and the Euphrates. The area was not very fertile and so early settlers had to use irrigation in order for their crops to grow. Mesopotamia was split into city-states, each having its own priest-king and its own rules. Because land along the river was the only fertile land, the 'city-states' were always at war with each other.
The political structure, though advanced for its time, did not make any benefits for the ordinary person in Mesopotamia. With the on-going wars within the region, many people became soldiers to defend their city-states. When a war was lost, the soldiers were either killed or forced into slavery. Hence, becoming a soldier became, in the end, a punishment, as the law couldn't help the soldiers forced into slavery. The city-states were usually surrounded by high stonewalls which served as a defence mechanism against their potential enemies. Although these walls protected the city-states, ordinary people were found living in small, crammed houses in large numbers, built on thin streets while the wealthy lives in large houses with courtyards. It was difficult for the ordinary people because they had to live in these small houses, while the rich were living in palaces. It was the political structure that caused this, as the city planners did not consider the population growth of the city-state.
The everyday life of ordinary Mesopotamians was far more difficult than that of the wealthy. While the wealthy had slaves to do the work around their house, the ordinary people of Mesopotamia were out doing their own work. Men in Mesopotamia worked in farms and fields, digging canals for irrigation, as well as loading and towing boats. Ordinary women drained the farms and fields, helped in harvesting, cut reeds, made pottery and weaved. Wealthy children were often educated, later becoming scribes, clerks and assistants. Ordinary people were never educated, leaving them to find their way into the textile industry or agriculture. The everyday lives of ordinary Mesopotamians was demanding because they had to work on fields as well as supporting their families, and were not given enough education to achieve high paying jobs.
The social hierarchy of Mesopotamia heightened the difficulty of life for ordinary people. The highest class in the social hierarchy was the king, his family, the high priests and the leading officials. These people had many rights, including rights that they made up. The middle class, which was small, consisted of merchants, lesser priests and scribes. The lowest class in the Mesopotamian social structure was the ordinary people and slaves. Some of the lower class owned their own land, but most worked or living on land owned by the upper class. The ordinary people and the slaves of the upper class had almost no rights, making it difficult for them to escape punishment for crimes. Thus, the ordinary people of the Mesopotamian area had a difficult life because of the social structure because they had no rights, owned little land and made little money.
In conclusion, life was, in fact, difficult for the ordinary person in Mesopotamian culture. The political structure caused people to be turned into slaves after war, as well as live in small crammed houses while the rich lived in palaces. The daily life of Mesopotamians consisted mainly of working, most people had to work on farms all day to support their families and were never given enough education to leave the lower class and enter the middle class. The social structure did not allow ordinary people any rights, it did not allow them to own their own land, and ordinary people could not make enough money to survive, perhaps due to the social structure of the age.