This period is characterized by major cultural and political changes. Historical Overview During the Early Dynastic period...
Mesopotamia
Written down in the mid-17th century BCE, the Atrahasis can be dated to the reign of the...
A tombstone commissioned by a man in memory of his deceased mother, “Siporah daughter of Dan”. Everything...
The myth, in time, became the reality. Introduction Originality in literary compositions in the ancient world did...
The ‘two rivers’ of the name referred to the Tigris and the Euphrates rivers and the land...
The Sumerians first explored the practice of the scientific hypothesis. Introduction Mesopotamian science and technology developed during...
Remaining examples include religious, mathematical, musical and astronomical texts. Key Points The principal languages of ancient Mesopotamia...
The ancient Near East, and the Fertile Crescent in particular, is generally seen as the birthplace of...
Ruins in the Town of Ur, Southern Iraq / Photo by M.Lubinski, Wikimedia Commons Among its peaks of...
Ruins in the Town of Ur, Southern Iraq / Photo by M.Lubinski, Flickr, Creative Commons Ur was an established...
A map illustrating the various political states within the Fertile Crescent c. 1450 BCE / Image by Свифт/Svift, Wikimedia Commons...
The “Burney Relief,” which is believed to represent either Ishtar, the Mesopotamian goddess of love and war,...
Left: Sumerian medical clay tablet – Medical clay tablet from Nippur dated to about 2200 BC is...
Kudurru of Nabû-kudurrī-uṣur granting LAK-ti Marduk freedom from taxation for services rendered during his invasion of Elam...
Cylinder seals were impression stamps, often quite intricate in design, used throughout Mesopotamia. By Dr. Joshua J....
A close-up view of the Babylonian map of the World. This partially broken clay tablet contains both...
In this seal, a seated vegetation goddess is greeted by three other deities. / Walters Art Museum,...
Cylinder Seal with Griffins, Humans and a Winged Disk / Walters Art Museum, Wikimedia Commons The religions...
Detail of a relief at Persepolis showing a procession of subject peoples bringing gifts characteristic of their...
Sumer, in southernmost Mesopotamia, was the first true city in the world, some time not very much...
Upper part of a gypsum statue of a Sumerian woman. The hands are folds in worship. The...
Edited by Matthew A. McIntosh / 06.19.2018 Historian Brewminate Editor-in-Chief Rise of Babylon The Emergence of the...
The first civilizations formed in river valleys, and were characterized by a caste system and a strong...
Creative Commons By Dr. Michael Fowler / 06.12.2015 Maxine S. and Jesse W. Beams Professor of Physics...
A relief at the ancient Persian city of Persepolis (now in modern Iran), including inscriptions in cuneiform,...
Ishtar (on right) comes to Sargon, who would later become one of the great kings of Mesopotamia. Edwin...
Gilgamesh explores what it means to be human, and questions the meaning of life and love. Wikimedia Commons...