Cities, States, and Living in Ancient Mesopotamia
Tides of History
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Mesopotamia and the Institutionalized Extortion of Labor
Mesopotamia had a long history of communal labor projects involving enslaved people, dependent workers and free citizens. The state could also direct much larger products because it could secure vast amounts of labor to suit its needs. When working on these projects, the worker would be paid in kind with grain, oil, clothing and so on. Every person in a mesopotamian city existed in this hierarchical web, tied to their social betters and powerful institutions that controlled their labor.
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