Cities, States, and Living in Ancient Mesopotamia
Tides of History
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The Temples of Mesopotamia
Over time, the gods accumulated far more material goods than their immediate needs required. One small temple of ishtar kept an inventory listing gold rings and fine textiles. Kings dedicated their prisoners of war to the temple of a god. A temple might outright own dozens or hundreds of enslaved people. In fact, temples were probably the primary patrons of the craft industries in the early dynastic period.
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