The emergence of social stratification in the Sumerians and social stratification in the Sumerians

When the social history studies on Mesopotamia and especially the Sumerians, which envisage the investigation of this social structure, are examined, it has been determined that the phenomenon of social stratification, which has high historical and sociological value, is not discussed in detail in the studies. Considering that one of the most important arguments that form the social structure is the form of social organization, it is very important to address the issue of social stratification in an in-depth, holistic and comprehensive manner. Therefore, in this research, the reasons for the phenomenon of social stratification in Mesopotamia, and in particular the Sumerians, the formation processes and the factors affecting the process will be discussed in order to contribute to the elimination of this scientific gap by expanding the studies in this field. The main purpose of this study will be to determine what kind of hierarchical structure the social stratification of the Sumerians emerged as a result of and to reveal how effective factors such as power, wealth, status, physical characteristics and gender inequalities are in this hierarchical structuring. In this study, which provides a comprehensive discussion of Sumerian social stratification, a method of comparing data in modern literature in the light of cuneiform documents will be applied. Especially the written laws of the period will be important data in determining the statuses within social stratification.