Social organization allows civilizations to prosper. This creates an essential element on which civilizations can grow. It is so important that social structure is one of the seven qualities that make a civilization a civilization. But how did this separation of classes come about? It began in the Neolithic period, when people stopped hunting and gathering. Groups of people would settle somewhere, and each would have a different duty to fulfill. We are beginning to see a lot of progress during this historic period. Without this structure, the golden age could not take place. A Gilded Age is “the most flourishing period in a nation’s history” (Dictionary.com). Without social organization, civilizations cannot thrive because they lack the fundamental structure they need. Social organization is necessary for the success of a civilization by creating different duties to fulfill and improving society as a whole. Mesopotamia was one of the first civilizations to have a social organization. Sumer was one of the first city-states in Mesopotamia. At the top of the social pyramid was the king, believed to be chosen by the gods. Then come the monks, the scribes and the merchants, the artists and the craftsmen and, at the base, the workers, the soldiers, the farmers and the slaves. This can be seen on the Standard of Ur. The Standard of Ur was discovered in 1922 and is 4,500 years old. It is theoretically considered a standard or sounding board of a musical instrument. There are two sides; one represents “War” and the other “Peace”. From these sides we can see their social organization based on the size and order of people. The king is larger and at the top and center; the poorest and skinniest people are on the left. Sumer was very successful...... middle of paper ......ay.Works Cited Assyrian relief sculpture panel depicting the lion hunt of Ashurnasirpal. From the North Palace of Nineveh, Iraq, 668-627 BC. British Museum Assyrian Archaeological Exhibition. Digital image. Funky Stock Photos. Internet. .Royal Road. Digital image. Wikipedia. Wikimedia. Internet. .Silk Road. Digital image. Wikipedia. Wikimedia. Internet. May 15, 2014. “SOCIAL ORDER”. PBS. PBS, 2006. The web. April 30, 2014. Ur Standard. Digital image. Wikipedia. Wikimedia. Internet. May 14, 2014. “Tour Egypt :: Egypt: The Palermo Stone.” Egypt: the stone of Palermo. Internet. May 15 2014. .