Mesopotamia comes from two Greek words meaning land in the middle of rivers.
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The term Mesopotamia is used to refer to a historic area within the Tigris and Euphrates River in western Asia. Ancient Mesopotamia was bounded on the east by the Mediterranean Sea ; the Zagros Mountains bound the northeast while on the southeast was determined by the Arabian plateau. Today Mesopotamia corresponds to most parts of Iraq ; however, some features correspond to Turkey, Kuwait, Syria, and Iran. Ancient Mesopotamia was full of diverse culture and is referred to as both the cradle of civilization and the Fertile Crescent.
Mesopotamia, many thousand years ago, bore the first human advancement. Empires founded in ancient Mesopotamia include the Akkadian, the Sumer, and the Babylonian empires. In contrast to other civilizations, Mesopotamia civilization was diverse in exchanging cultures and traditions. It acted as the origin of many ethnicities, various societies, and denominations, which were prominent during other times in history. Here we look at some of the surprising and fascinating facts about ancient Mesopotamia.
Mesopotamia is a Greek word meaning the land in the middle of rivers. It comes from two words 'Meso' meaning 'Middle' and 'Potamos' meaning 'river'. It broadly translates to the land, which is bound by the rivers Tigris and Euphrates. The area is now home to modern Iraq, Kuwait, Turkey, and Syria in the Tigris and Euphrates rivers' fertile valleys. Mesopotamia's history extends from the oldest civilizations that existed in the Lower Sumaya era to the Late Antiquity. Mesopotamia is the home of many cultures and is dubbed as the cradle of civilization. The name Mesopotamia's oldest occurrence dates back to the four-century B.C.B.C. Often, the word Mesopotamia has a historical connotation.
The Northern region was made up of fields where people could farm food and raise livestock. Grasslands, aquatic life, and fertile soil were suitable for agriculture in its Southern areas. Imports from the East and the North had to be made to other tools, such as wood, hard stones, and metals. Trade routes for importing lapis lazuli from Afghanistan was eventually established. Lapis is a semi-precious blue stone used in Mesopotamian Jewelry and Sculpture. The brightness and rareness of the rock meant its significance. Settlements evolved with a traditional form of religious belief based on a temple and a god or goddess who was the patron. Some temples are located in locations such as Uruk and Ur. Mud bricks were used to construct temples and other structures.
Over the years, human has put down billions on writing. Evidence shows that the first written words can be traced to ancient Mesopotamia. The Sumerians used a system of writing about five millenniums, which was referred to as cuneiform. Cuneiform is believed to the oldest form of writing today. For archeologists, it was a fortune that wood did not feature prominently among ancient Mesopotamia. Instead, they used tablets made from clay, which are immune to the consequences of time for obvious reasons.
The Cuneiform system of writing is not easily decoded, but few recent researchers have devoted years to grasp the language. Although most of the cuneiform discovered by archeologists cover mundane issues such as tabulating food, others have proven to be much more exciting and have shown that the Sumerians were far more sophisticated than previously thought. Astonishingly, it has been recently revealed that the Sumerians had precisely forecast the planets' movement. That is about 2000 years before any other civilization could do so. Somewhat it has been discovered about half-a-million cuneiform artifacts from Mesopotamia, but just a fraction of them has been translated so far. The odds are there will be many more surprises.
Evidence suggests that wheels invented about 3500 B.C.B.C. as potter's wheels three hundred years before anybody found out how to use them for carts. By the time ancient people from Mesopotamia discovered the wheel, they had already invented many other innovations like canals, irrigation, and house construction. However, the wheel's invention opened the door extensively for other creations such as chariots, pulleys, and the wheel-axle.
Humans used the wheels as luxurious transportation for the rich, processing and manufacturing of ceramics, and agriculture in the ancient day. The reel based the chariots, cart technology and was part of a significant invention from ancient Mesopotamia. Chariots were the first means of private transport; later, they were used in war and sport chariots and public use. A bend wood rim and a lightwood made the oldest chariot design appearing in Mesopotamia in around 3200 BC. The chariots were used by kings and wealthy private commute and later used in every civilization.
Owing to the nourishment given to cities in Mesopotamia by the two rivers, the people had enough opportunities to discover their natural and metaphysical surroundings. In the numerous priestly schools and temples scattered throughout Mesopotamia, the society's priests and nobles researched things like medicine, astrology, theology, and law. Most of Mesopotamia's findings had religious undertones. The region had its fair share of people who dabbled in philosophy even before the ancient Greeks even showed up. Thales of Miletus (c. 585 BCE) was one such intellectual. Historians believe him to be one of the first old world philosophers.
Ancient Mesopotamians had a thorough understanding of astronomy, and there was evidence of primordial astronomical appliances. An example of such a device was Ammisaduqa's Venus Tablet, which recorded astronomical phenomena and interpreted celestial omens. It assumed that the Sumerians were the first to carry out written mathematics. Evidence suggests that traditional math problems were posed in geometrical shapes, but their solutions would most likely be algebraic equations. The tabulation was in base 60 and could not be calculated without a written format.
Societies cannot function well if the rule of law does not bound them; therefore, there was a need for the oppressor to face certain punishment risks. Evidence shows the oldest code of conduct that was written can be traced back to the Sumer of ancient Mesopotamia, written around 21 B.CB.C. The laws set out pieces are noteworthy because they are extraordinarily broad-minded; their specified purpose was to defend the poor from the powerful. It developed the innocent principle until proven guilty.
Many that would break the regulation could expect harsh punishment and nothing less. Murderers and thieves were condemned to death. Allegations of offenses such as witchcraft could be harder to determine, and it was here that innocence or guilt was defined by ordeal trial. However, this was a dangerous way of trying to implicate an opponent. Suppose the victim endured the test and proved their blamelessness before the deities. Therefore, the defendant would be killed.
Making beer was simple, as it required only sugar, cereals, and fermentation period, so in the fifth millennium B.C.B.C., it became a typical drink. The oldest beer recipe was barley brewed from Mesopotamia. Ninkasi was a Sumerians goddess for beer, and there were poems dedicated to her dating from about 3900 BC. Alcohol was a part of the feudal system, where laborers were given food as part of their payment. Archeological evidence indicates that the Mesopotamians used to feed on circular bowls and drink beer from conical flasks around five millennia ago. Carvings are suggesting that alcohol was provided as compensation for their labor.
Assyria got their name from their capital city Assur that was located on the plateau above river Tigris. The location of Assyria was very vulnerable because its terrain was open to plunder almost from every side. Therefore, they were subjected to constant threats from their neighboring nations. Due to these threats, a reaction effect was created, leading to the development of a robust military system that was well organized to cope with the constant threat. It eventually made the Assyrian army an incredibly strong force. They prevailed over most strong Mesopotamian kingdoms by 8th-century B.C.B.C. to become one of the ancient world's first superpowers.
Biblical scholars claim that the bulk of the contents in the Old Testament Hebrew Scriptures originated in Mesopotamia. For instance, the "giants" that once ruled the earth originated from Mesopotamia and Noah's flood tale. Mesopotamia Garden of Eden accounts, tablet writings, and the story of Job predates those in the Bible.
The most simplistic maps surviving today are inscriptions on caves and rocks, often showing the area's native landscape. The oldest of these is from 25,000 BC, and it is a map of Mesopotamia. Clay tablets of around 18 x 21 cm were used by Sumerians to identify features they were trying to draw accurately. Nuzi's ancient city plan was produced between 2360 and 2180 BC, and it is likely the earliest road map. It illustrates the progressive expertise of the ancient Mesopotamian cartographers in topography and survey.
People from ancient Mesopotamia developed the first concept of urbanization. For the first time in history, they lived in one particular location instead of hunting or scavenging. Due to this, agriculture was developed, leading to more people's feeding, and livestock was kept in one place. During this period, people were taught the concept of trading, and the notion of taxation arose from it. Urbanization began in Mesopotamia in the era of Uruk (4300-3100 BC). The biggest colony ever built in the human culture of massive mud-brick houses was built in 3200 BC. King Gilgamesh constructed a colossal fortification that surrounded the town.
The list above summarizes some of the surprising and fascinating facts about ancient Mesopotamia, where many modern-day world's inventions and developments originated. Therefore, it is no wonder that this ancient society is recognized as the cradle of civilization.
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