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Essay / The impact of ancient Mesopotamian culture on modern society
Ancient Mesopotamia, as scholars consider it, is the cradle of civilizations. The enormous impact of Mesopotamian civilizations on the development of humanity and on the great path of continuous evolution is undeniable. The practice of many traditions we have today was first established by the early civilizations of Mesopotamia. There is no doubt that social relationships play an important role in our daily lives and it is important to know and analyze the early emergence of specific behaviors. Comparing ancient Mesopotamian civilizations and modern habits, among which it is worth mentioning separately the role of women, children and family life, we can see several similarities, which leads us to conclude that Mesopotamian culture left a trace which is still in force. There are certain issues regarding the way women are perceived, the concepts of marriage and divorce, relationships with children and opinions on adoption that influence our decisions today and it is for this reason that in putting contemporary customs and classical Mesopotamian traditions side by side, we have a chance to resolve the gaps. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Like many other civilizations, ancient Mesopotamian civilizations were patriarchal. This resulted in women having limited rights compared to their male counterparts. The expected roles of women were to marry, raise children, and take care of the home. Women mainly depended on their husbands but some women like priestesses had more rights and freedom, the possibility of owning part of the property inherited from the family. Women could own property if their children were not adults when their father died. By early adolescence, girls were married off to usually older men chosen by their fathers. The marriage process included many stages, among which the dowry and the performance of symbolic actions are highlighted. Dowry - gifts to newlyweds from relatives on both sides, mainly from the bride's family, consisted of various types of goods, jewelry, furniture, and for wealthy families, even land. To celebrate marriage, people held ceremonies in which the groom had to unveil the bride. The number of days of celebration depended on the financial situation of the families. A family's property was considered important in ancient Mesopotamia. For this reason, when the groom died, the bride could marry her brother in order to keep the property within the family. Mesopotamian marriages were generally monogamous, however, if a couple did not have children, men could marry a second time, nevertheless, the groom had to provide for his first wife. It is obvious that certain actions and duties of women have been used recently and still today. It is explicit that the main obligations of women remain unchanged. The age limit and the groom selection process by parents were used until recently. Today, this practice is considerably reduced and the majority of girls have the right to choose the man they want to marry. There are still gifts included in marriage, similar to dowry, but usually given to the bride. In the modern world, wedding ceremonies are usually held over the course of a day and the unveiling of the bride as part of a ceremony is..