Long, long ago, people moved from place to place gathering plants and hunting animals for food.
Sometimes they lived in simple huts.
Over time, people learned to farm and they grew plants that could be eaten as food.
The ancient Mesopotamians became so good at farming that some people had
time to do other things. They built cities that had buildings, streets, and gardens.
Mesopotamian kings and queens lived in these beautiful cities, along with other people.
The Mesopotamians created a great civilization. The name Mesopotamia means “between the rivers.”
The land of Mesopotamia lay between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers.
Because there was water nearby, the land was good for farming. Farmers grew the
food that fed the people of Mesopotamia, including those who lived in the cities.
The kings of Mesopotamia were in charge of the cities. Their job was to protect the cities,
the people, and the farmland from enemies. Many of the cities in Mesopotamia were built with
walls around them for protection. This is what a walled city would have looked like long ago.
People had many different kinds of jobs in the cities of Mesopotamia.
Some people, called craftsmen, made pots,
baskets, clothes, and jewelry. Others carried people by boat from place to place.
The farmers grew food in the fields outside the city walls.
The Tigris and Euphrates Rivers were important. Sometimes the rivers flooded.
The floodwater carried rich soil into the fields that was good for growing plants.
At other times, when there wasn’t enough rain for the plants, river water was brought to the fields.
Some people in Mesopotamia knew how to read and write. They didn’t write on paper. Instead
they used reeds to make marks on wet clay. This way of writing is called cuneiform.
Having a way to write down important information helped make the Mesopotamian civilization great.
Kings were powerful leaders. They led armies into battle and they made peace too.
This piece of art made from shells and stones shows people bringing special gifts to the king.
Children in Mesopotamia played with toys, just like children do today. What do you think this is?
Queens were important too! They helped to make decisions. A queen in Mesopotamia once wore this
gold headdress and jewelry. The headdress was made to look like the leaves of a tree.
Hammurabi was a great king in Mesopotamia. He created the Code of Hammurabi.
This was a set of laws that were written down so that everyone would know them.
Writing down important information and ideas is one way a civilization can be strong.
King Hammurabi wanted all Mesopotamians to follow the laws.
People knew if they broke a law, they would be punished.
In ancient Mesopotamia, people believed in many gods and goddesses.
Temples were places where people went to pray to the gods and goddesses.
This is a photograph of the ruins of the Temple of Ur. Thousands of people would
have gone to this temple. It still stands today in the modern-day country of Iraq.
Babylon was the richest city in Mesopotamia. This beautiful
gate in the city of Babylon was built to honor Ishtar, the goddess of love and war.
People in Mesopotamia told stories about how strong and brave one of their kings was.
His name was King Gilgamesh. They also showed his bravery in pictures,
Stories, poems and pictures. It was told he was so strong that he could defeat a lion!
Some of the world’s first civilizations
developed in Mesopotamia. Today that region is a part of Iraq.