Sumerian and Greek Societies

The Sumerian and Greek concepts of society are more similar than they are different. The Sumerian's led a city life of temples, residential districts, intensive agriculture, stock breeding and cultivation which formed the four mainstays of the economy. In the prologue of Gilgamesh it states the magnificence of the city walls, "Ð'...the outer wall, where the cornice runs, it shines with brilliance of copper; and the inner wall, it has no equal" The Sumerian civilization was also full of times where they all ate, drank, and sang. For instance, when Enkidu comes across the Shepard's; he eats cooked food and gets drunk, which are as much a part of the human experience as making love, wearing clothing, listening to and making music, and participating in and devising ceremonies. In part one of Gilgamesh it says, "Ð'...he ate till he was full and drank strong wine. He became merry, his heart exulted and his face shone." Now just as the Sumerian's, the Greek also threw great feasts. Especially for the guests, they ate, drank, and sang which is a common part of hospitality. In book nine of The Odyssey it says, "Ð'...here we stand, beholden for your help, or any gifts you give Ð'- as custom is to honor your strangers." Both the Sumerian's and Greeks love to eat, sing, and be merry. Also, marriage and sex is common in both. The Sumerian and Greek language also had commonality. They both were polytheistic, in that they believed that different gods ruled different parts of the world. As this may only be a small part of the Sumerian and Greek society they both have similar concepts.

Although many aspects of Sumerian and Greek societies were very similar, there are several differences. Some of those differences include education and location. The location of the Sumerian's is located near the Persian Gulf, next to Arabia, while the Greeks are located on a peninsula on the Mediterranean Sea between Turkey and Italy. Most of the Greeks like to live out side the city walls while the Sumerian's lived inside the city walls. The education of Sumerian's was typically associated with the priesthood and took place in temples. Eventually it was changed, and became available to wealthy families' children. Praise was given to those who did well, and punishment was given to those who did poorly or were inadequate in some way. Students were mostly, if not all males. The Greeks education