Some examples of public works include temples, pyramids and palaces. These were used for a use of religion, art, and writing. Another example of public works is roads used for trade. They traded goods such as salt, flint, feathers, shells, cotton, cloth, objects made of jade and other needed items. All of the public works were a major aspect of Amman cities. Amman people built cities filled with tens of thousands of people who lived in it. They were large and full of pyramids, temples and palaces. They were considered an area of trade and religion to the people around it.
The city-states were linked together by trade but were still independent. The capital was Diktat that was ruled by their own god. The government was based on independent city-states ruled by separate god-kings. The God-kings were considered descendants of god and ruled both the government and religion. This type of ruling was considered a theocracy. This caused arguments because of different opinions from each god-king. Since the government was so influenced with religion they both became a big influence to their day to day life. Amman religion was the center of their society.
They had a polytheistic religion meaning they believed in many gods. They had a god for each day and the god’s action was based on a calendar. They also believed in sacrificing their own blood. They occasionally killed enemies to sacrifice as well. A way that historians found out about this information was through their writing. The most advanced writing system was developed by the Mayans. It was made up of 800 symbols called glyphs. They used their writing system to record historical events and communicate. They carved in stone and recorded events in a corer which is a bark-paper book.
This is similar today to how Americans use notebooks. Another important way they recorded history and provided evidence on their living was through their art and architecture. Art and architecture was based on religion and other aspects of the city-states. The art involved designs using flint, bone and shell, and cotton textiles. Some pieces were used for ceremonial purposes. They also created pieces Of interests including bracelets, necklaces, and headdresses. A major piece of architecture included temples. Evidence even shows that Amman architects used the Corbel vault principle.
Their crafts were made by artisans and craft workers which were important jobs during the Amman civilization. Mayans are known for their advancements in technology, but are not known for the specific jobs that created them. Some jobs included trading goods and merchants. This job was very important due to their trade routes that they created and used greatly. There were also people who were based in more of a fighting area including warriors. They provided safety and protection towards the civilization. There were craft workers who were based more in the arts and architecture.
Peasants and farmers had to do with the production of crops for the civilization. The most respected and important job was the god-king. What determined the level of respect and sense of organization was the social class structure. The Social class structure was split into four sections. The first class was the god-kings because they had the most power. The second class was the best warriors and priests. They provided the Mayans with protection and a connection to religion. Under them were the merchants and the craft workers.
They were important because the craft workers created valuable teems and merchants created and used trade routes to connect with other civilizations. The bottom class was made up of peasant farmers. They had very little power. This system provided organization in the Amman kingdoms. The eight features of civilization were a big part in Amman civilization. It provided structure, organization, entertainment and the ability to record information. One thing that historians are not sure of today is how the Mayans declined. There are predictions including disruption in trade, overuse of natural resources and the loss of faith in their leader.