Ancient Mesopotamia is also called "The Land Between the Rivers".
This historical region was located in Southwest Asia
and encompassed the lands between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.
In the north, it extended as far as the mountains of Armenia, and in the south to the Persian Gulf.
It is part of the so-called "Fertile Crescent," an area that some scientists describe as the "cradle of civilization."
In this video, we will trace the amazing history of Mesopotamia, which begins thousands of years before the new era.
A land where some of the most ancient civilizations,
experiencing periods of prosperity and decline, were born and developed.
CONSCIOUSNESS
Today, Mesopotamia occupies the territory of modern Iraq, Kuwait, Turkey, and Syria.
Archaeological research takes us back in time to tell us that these territories
were inhabited for the first time in the Paleolithic era.
They formed their own small settlements.
One of the first Eneolithic cultures, the Obeid, originated in the southern part of Mesopotamia
and is dated around 6500 BC.
Over thousands of years, these communities developed and mastered agriculture and animal husbandry.
In the southern regions of Mesopotamia, the Sumerian civilization was founded,
defined by researchers as the founder of the modern world.
The origin of the Sumerians remains unclear to this day.
In historical sources, there are several hypotheses about when and how the Sumerian people appeared.
According to one theory, they arrived in the Lower Mesopotamia region as invaders during or after the Obeid period.
Other studies indicate that the various communities that inhabited the territory of Mesopotamia merged
and formed the Sumerian people.
The archaeological remains of the Sumerian civilization are not as well preserved as, for example, the Egyptian ones.
However, the first evidence of the Sumerian culture, scientists date from about 4000 BC. when the first cities began to form.
The evolution of society also led to the emergence of city-states.
The largest ones were Eridu, Nippur, Kish, Lagash, Uruk, and Ur.
They developed crafts and traded with India and Ancient Egypt.
Each Sumerian city-state had its own ruler, who was actually the priest and deputy of their own local god.
The Sumerians believed that their god represented them to the other gods
who controlled the weather, water, fertility, and the heavenly bodies.
The territory of the city and what was in it was the possession of the god.
For his part, he took care of providing labor and collecting and distributing the harvest.
According to Archaeological studies, temples in Sumerian cities were the center of religious and physical life.
The houses are grouped around a large architectural complex of sanctuary, workshops, storehouses, and scribe quarters.
In the center of a raised platform was the temple of the local god.
These platforms are called ziggurats, the most famous being the Tower of Babel.
The ziggurat had a square shape and resembled a step pyramid.
In fact, researchers point to an earlier surviving specimen in the Sumerian city of Uruk,
dated to shortly before 3000 BC.
On the platform is a shrine called the "White Temple".
At the height of its development, the city of Uruk had a population of between 40,000 and 80,000 people.
Writing was one of the most important cultural achievements of the Sumerians.
Initially, it was pictographic, i.e. pictorial, and later it became cuneiform.
The text is carved on a clay tile, using a reed stick.
According to experts, the writing of the Sumerians arose in the 4th millennium BC.
and spread throughout Mesopotamia.
As a result, the first schools were developed where boys were taught to read and write.
Studies reveal that, in addition to texts of an administrative nature, many literary works were also created in the schools.
One of the most famous is a collection of Sumerian legends called the Epic of Gilgamesh.
Another extremely important achievement is the construction of an irrigation system.
Through the canals they made, they used the waters of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers to irrigate the cultivated areas.
This shows their good engineering achievements, but they are also good astronomers.
An extremely interesting fact is that scientists have attributed to the Sumerians the timekeeping system that we still use today.
Namely, that there are 60 seconds in a minute, and 60 minutes in an hour.
Each one of these aspects testifies to how well-developed this ancient civilization was.
Gradually, the rulers of the city-states began attempts to subjugate
the neighboring city-states in order to seize territories.
Raids from people in northern Mesopotamia also began.
Around 2334 BC King Sargon of Akkad conquers Sumer.
Legend has it that he was cupbearer to the king of Kish, then a powerful city-state.
He usurped power and led an army against other city-states.
Thus he united all of Mesopotamia under his rule and created the first empire in the world.
The center of the Akkadian Empire became the city of Akkad, located on the west bank of the Euphrates River,
which scholars believe was either founded by Sargon the Great or rebuilt.
The king's main goal was also to sever the connection between the Sumerian cities and their local gods,
then to unite the Sumerian and Akkadian gods into a common pantheon and thus unify the country.
Akkadian became the official language throughout Mesopotamia.
During Sargon's reign, trade flourished, with precious metals used as a medium
of exchange, according to researchers.
Stability in the empire is also a prerequisite for the development of art, literature, science, religion, and agriculture.
To keep the empire under his rule, Sargon the Great placed his trusted men
as administrators and governors in over 65 different cities.
He also does something very interesting in the direction of being in close contact with religion as well.
Appoints his daughter Enheduana as high priestess of the goddess Inanna in the city of Ur.
The goddess Inanna is the daughter of the moon god Nana.
She is also known to the Akkadians as Ishtar and is the patroness of carnal love and war.
As her priestess, Enheduana composed hymns praising the goddess.
Scholars identify Enheduana as the first writer in history known by his name.
Power strengthened under Sargon's sons, Rimush and Manishu, who succeeded him.
According to experts, the empire saw its greatest rise under his grandson Naram-son.
Archaeological studies of the city of Tell Brak have identified it as one of the oldest settlements in Mesopotamia.
It was this city that became the administrative center during the time of Sargon of Akkad.
Later, Naram-son built a palace fortress there,
and an inscription discovered by researchers reads "king of the four corners, king of the universe."
Sources indicate that he expanded the boundaries of the empire, increased trade, and maintained order.
He immortalized himself in relief on a large stele depicting his victory.
Standing triumphantly over his foes, with a significantly larger figure, heading towards the mountain peak.
The horned crown he wears is an element characteristic of the gods.
The stele's depiction suggests Naram-sin's superhuman status,
and some sources claim that he began to define himself as a deity,
on par with others in the Mesopotamian pantheon.
His successor Shar-kali-shari was the last king of the Akkadian Empire.
Thus the stability of the dynasty was maintained for 142 years before it collapsed.
Then came troubled times for Mesopotamia. Studies have argued that climate change most likely occurred,
causing famine, disruption of trade, and the overall weakening of the empire.
Quite naturally, riots begin that cannot be quelled.
The central authority collapses, and the leaders of the cities begin to war with each other.
New tribes invaded the territory of Mesopotamia: the Elamites from the east
and the Amorites from the northwest, who captured several cities.
Order was restored in 1792 BC. when the Amorite ruler Hammurabi founded the Babylonian dynasty.
Under his rule, Babylon became the cultural, commercial, and religious center of the ancient world.
You can follow the whole exciting story of the rise and fall of Babylon in our special video on the topic in our channel.
According to historical sources, Babylon was captured by the Hittites in 1595 BC. and then by the Kassites.
Located on the upper reaches of the Tigris, Assur was a city-state that regained its independence
and gradually grew into the Assyrian Empire.
Archaeological studies date the city of Assur to 2600 BC at the earliest.
When it was dominated by other Sumerian city-states and then fell under the rule of the Akkadian Empire.
Around 2000 BC Assur became an independent city-state under the rule of Puzur-Ashur,
who developed trade extremely quickly.
An extensive trade network is established, even over long distances.
The situation in Mesopotamia is very dynamic, the military conflicts between
the growing states that threaten Assur are intensifying.
The political instability of Mesopotamia placed the city of Assur under the control of invaders.
Historians define the period around 1363 -912 BC. as the rise of the Assyrian Empire,
achieving independence under Ashur-Ubalit.
New territories were added to the growing Assyrian Empire, making it a significant power.
Shortly before 1000 BC, Assyrian culture suffered a decline, after which there were times of rise again,
calling the new empire Neo-Assyrian.
The kings of this period undertook large-scale conquests and expanded the territory
in all directions, incorporating the conquered lands.
Good governance and administration make the empire a driving political force.
Historians identify the military affairs and administration conducted in this way
as innovative concepts for ancient Assyria, thanks to which it is believed that it was possible to build a successful empire.
Assyrian culture and architecture reached their peak. Borrowing models from Sumerian architecture,
the Assyrians adapted them to their needs.
They built temples and ziggurats on the Sumerian model,
but the palaces for their kings were distinguished by unprecedented dimensions and magnificence.
Scholars define the Sargonid dynasty as the heyday of the Neo-Assyrian Empire.
And the conquest of Egypt in 671 BC as the political and territorial peak of the empire's development.
In 612 BC The Babylonian state recovered, attacked Assyria, and captured the capital and Nineveh.
These events marked the end of the Assyrian Empire and the beginning of the Neo-Babylonian Empire.
The most famous Neo-Babylonian ruler was Nebuchadnezzar II,
the builder of the famous Tower of Babel and the Hanging Gardens of Babylon.
This extraordinary feat of engineering has been designated as one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World
and the main subject of another video of ours that you can find in the channel.
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