In ancient Sumer, what sequence describes how a new law was created?

In ancient Sumer, what sequence describes how a new law was created?

• A. A king passes a law, assembly of wise men either accept it or overrule it, citizens are expected to learn and obey the law
• B. Citizens propose laws, king approves, wise men oversee
• C. Assembly drafts laws, king signs into law, citizens obey
• D. Wise men create law, king signs, citizens ignore

Answer: (B)

This question tests how lawmaking functioned in ancient Sumer, focusing on who initiates a law, who approves it, and who oversees its application. The sequence where citizens propose laws, the king approves, and wise men oversee fits the historical pattern: people or their representatives raise proposed rules, the ruler gives official sanction to make them binding, and a group of wise men—often elders, priests, or senior counselors—oversees to interpret, record, and ensure the laws align with religious and social norms. This arrangement combines popular input with royal authority and knowledgeable oversight, which is why it’s considered the best description of how a new law was created in that context. The other options imply steps that don’t match the typical Sumerian dynamic—such as laws being drafted by an assembly with no royal approval, or by wise men alone without a formal royal endorsement, or the notion that citizens would ignore laws—which don’t fit how authoritative rule and legitimacy were established in ancient Mesopotamian governance.

This question tests how lawmaking functioned in ancient Sumer, focusing on who initiates a law, who approves it, and who oversees its application. The sequence where citizens propose laws, the king approves, and wise men oversee fits the historical pattern: people or their representatives raise proposed rules, the ruler gives official sanction to make them binding, and a group of wise men—often elders, priests, or senior counselors—oversees to interpret, record, and ensure the laws align with religious and social norms. This arrangement combines popular input with royal authority and knowledgeable oversight, which is why it’s considered the best description of how a new law was created in that context. The other options imply steps that don’t match the typical Sumerian dynamic—such as laws being drafted by an assembly with no royal approval, or by wise men alone without a formal royal endorsement, or the notion that citizens would ignore laws—which don’t fit how authoritative rule and legitimacy were established in ancient Mesopotamian governance.