Nowadays, wealth is shown, as always through history, by emphasizing what we have, material goods, the way of life. In this way, we show our status. However, unlike some ancient times, today people who are extremely wealthy often look and behave modestly, while those of the middle class emphasize everything they have and look much richer than the real rich. Throughout history this was the other way round.
Mesopotamia, (Greek Μεσοποταμία), sometimes called - "Earth between two rivers"; or Aramaic name Beth-Nahrin - "House of Two Rivers"), is a region of southwest Asia. In fact, Mesopotamia includes an alluvial plane between the Tigris and the Euphrates, in Iraq and Syria.
Apart from the highest class of society (high priesthood, court officials), the whole population is strictly divided into free people (avilum), who are under the protection of the law, and on slaves (vardum), which, as well as livestock, are considered property at the disposal of the master. Along with all possible economic ranks, in the general mass of the free population, there are still distinctly legitimate categories, and then encountering another layer, a muscenum, which is rightly found between slaves and free people. Many other servants who do not have their own property are mentioned, but they received goods or money for their work.
The position of all classes was defined by the Hamurbi's Law.
Avilum is the most numerous category in the Bavarian society (landowners, peasants, tradesmen, craftsmen), they participate in the work of city councils, which have retained local self-government and judiciary, and take into account the city finances.
Muscenum is a layer of population whose legal status is not clear enough. They were possessions, partly even slaves, could be based on families, but their jurisdictional rights were limited (a subordinate position was reflected on the issue of criminal law, as presumed in connection with origin).
Vardum was the lowest layer of the Babylonian society. The sources of slavery were different: wars, birth from slaves, buying from a slave trader, criminal conviction and debt slavery. However, unlike the time of the third dynasty of Ur, measures are being taken that the free Babylonians must not (only serious violations entail the deprivation of liberty). The main cause of the conversion of masses into slaves was dependence on borrowing, and Hamurabi's laws are just trying to limit this dependence. And as such, the Hamurabian Code represents a certain shift to the previous system of punishment (distinguishes the killings from negligence and premeditation, and for unintentional injuries, only compensation for the costs of treatment is foreseen).
However, it was difficult to improve personal status except in certain situations that were given by this law. The conditions for this were very strict and rigid.
