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Social Classes of the
Ancient World
6th Grade
Social Studies
Social Structure, Pyramid, Classes or Hierarchy
• Important component of a
civilization is its social
organization.
• Consists of the way the
people are divided into
different social groups, and
also the way of life of the
people such as their means
of living, entertainment and
so on.
• Organisation of people can
be referred to as social
classes, structure, hierarchy
or pyramid.
Social Structure, Pyramid, Classes or Hierarchy
• Social hierarchy in the
different ancient civilizations
was fairly similar.
• People
were
generally
divided into 4 or 5 social
classes.
• Nobles and priests were
generally the highest rank.
• Nobles and priests enjoyed
higher status as they were
important rulers of the
country and leaders of the
society.
• Slaves and outcasts were the
lowest rank.
Leaders … Pharaoh, Emperor,
Brahmin, King
• Highest level of the
social structure was
often gained by family
relationships, by force or
due to religious beliefs.
• A leader was often
considered god-like and
looked upon favourably
by the gods.
• The leader controlled all
aspects of life in the
society.
Priests
• A priest was an important person in
the society and belonged to the
highest social class.
• A priest had the job of carrying out
religious ceremonies in temples and
writing sacred books.
• Priests taught other priests the
method
of
keeping
ancient
calendars, how to cure the sick,
write with hieroglyphs, study the
stars and record what they
understood, and predict the future.
• These people pursued intellectual
studies so that they would be wise
and knowledgeable.
• They were respected by the people.
Men vs. Women
• In the past, women have been
generally regarded as inferior
to men in many societies.
• This can be seen through the
way women were treated in
society, having few rights and
very little freedom, and being
subservient to their husbands.
They were regarded as not only
mentally inferior to men but
also physically inferior.
• Interestingly enough in ancient
Egypt, women, had almost as
many rights as men.
Farmers
• In ancient Egypt, India, China
and Mesopotamia, the people
survived on agriculture. They
planted crops like maize, wheat
and barley along the fertile
banks of rivers, such as the
River Nile for the Egyptians
and the River Tigris and
Euphrates for the Sumerians of
Mesopotamia.
• Domestic animals such as
cattle, sheep, and goats were
also raised to provide food and
hides.
• The rivers also provided the
people with fish for food.
Surplus of Food
• A surplus of food meant that there was more food for more people, as it
was possible to grow many different types of crops on a single piece of
land.
• This resulted in the development of settlements and ultimately the
building of cities.
• As more food became available, this meant that more people could be fed,
which led to increasing populations.
• With more people in the society, there were more people available for
different kinds of work, and this resulted in the development of more
sophisticated social systems.