The other group of free people, the musheknus were craftsmen clerks and farmers. Marriages were arranged by parents, and it was expected that the groom presented a gift to the father of the bride. The marriage was concluded by a contract inscribed on a tablet. The woman had some rights in the marriage, she could have property and engage in business. The most important industry of Babylonia, was agriculture, but other industries were fairly well developed too.
Babylonian cities resemble to some extent the modern village in the Middle East.
Most houses were only one-storey high, and built of mud bricks. They had no windows towards the street, and there were several rooms arranged around an inner courtyard. Inside the house, one of the rooms could be devoted to the gods. Family members were often buried in the ground of the house, together with items that were intended to help them in the afterlife. For example did they use a specific technique of making all straight lines slightly curved, so that hard lines would appear softer.