summary+ma


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Mesopotamia is derived from the Greek words, mesos means 'middle' and potamos refers to 'river'. It covers the geographical area between the rivers, Euphrates and Tigris; and hence is also known as the 'land between two rivers'. Mesopotamia had a patriarchal society, where men ruled the family. Boys were taught their father's trade and if they belonged to a rich or aristocrat family, they could go to school. Girls stayed at home and had to do the housework. The Mesopotamian women could own a property and get divorce for a valid reason. Their houses were built with mud brick, mud plaster and wooden doors. They played games like boxing, wrestling and polo for recreation. Hunting was another adventure game, especially popular among the kings. The Mesopotamians were good traders and traded grains and textiles, but the wealth of the Mesopotamian cities mainly came from merchants and craftsmen. Since Mesopotamia was surrounded by two rivers, there was rich supply of food, as the land near the river was fertile and good for crops. They planted crops like barley, onion, grapes, apples and turnips. People always kept cows, sheep and fish as alternate sources of food, in case of any natural disaster like flood. During the dry season they built canals for irrigation.