Assessment Questions 9.4

The Hassunan culture in Mesopotamia dates from 8,000 to 7,200 B.P. It is characterized by small farming villages where subsistence was based on the growing of wheat, barley, peas, and lentils. The sites show clear evidence of the primacy of agriculture in the subsistence base, with a focus on domesticated animals, including sheep, goat, pig, and cattle.

The Samarran culture, dating to after 7,500 years ago, is located deep into the floodplain of the Tigris. The diets of the inhabitants included the resources offered by the river, with archaeological evidence for the heavy use of fish and mussels. Agriculture was a significant part of the subsistence system, and direct evidence of canal building for irrigation has been found at Samarran sites like Choga Mami.

After about 7400 B.P., the Samarran culture saw the construction of T-shaped buildings used to house the community's grain. Communal storage of grain suggests a pooling of labor in both farming and building construction. Elaborate burials with differences in grave wealth imply increasing economic and social differentiation, possibly indicating the existence of an elite or upper class.