Ancient Mesopotamia 3300-331 B.C.E.: Social Class and Economy

The Black Obelisk Of Manishtushu

Manishtushu (circa 2269 - circa 2255 B.C.E.) ruled the Mesopotamian empire conquered by his father, Sargon of Akkad. The inscription on the Black Obelisk, a stone, four-sided stele (about 1.5 meters tall) fashioned from black diorite (from the northern shore of the Persian Gulf) is a compilation of the king's land purchases from several families in central Mesopotamia. Several male relatives participated in each sale— an indication that land was not owned by an individual but rather by a family or clan and that the male members of the family had to agree to the sale for it to be legitimate. According to one field sale recorded on the obelisk,

Ilum-aha, son of llulu, the "colonel"
Watrum, son of Lamusa, the steward
Ayar-ilum, son of Pu-balum, the shepherd
Sin-alshu, son of Ayar-ilum, son of.....

Ancient Mesopotamia 3300-331 B.C.E.: Social Class and Economy article

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