Why Mesopotamia is Less Studied Compared to Ancient Egypt

In my opinion, the reason why Mesopotamia is not studied as heavily as Egypt is simply that we find more romance and mystery in ancient Egypt. There is a closer connection in the West historically with Egypt than with Mesopotamia, and this, plus the engaging nature of Egyptian mysteries, draws people to delve deeper into the history of the land of the pharaohs.

Mesopotamia: 'Between Two Rivers'

Mesopotamia, which means 'between two rivers' in Greek, was an ancient region located in the eastern Mediterranean. It was bounded in the northeast by the Zagros Mountains and in the southeast by the Arabian Plateau. Today, the area includes parts of modern-day Iraq, Iran, Syria, and Turkey. The region was named for the two main rivers, the Tigris and the Euphrates, and was also known as Al-Jazirah to the Arabs, which translates to 'the island.'

Mesopotamia was a diverse collection of cultures united primarily by their script, their gods, and their attitudes toward women. Despite shared characteristics like literacy and a pantheon of gods, each culture had its unique customs, laws, and languages. This diversity makes Mesopotamia a region that produced multiple empires and civilizations rather than a single civilization. Nonetheless, Mesopotamia is often referred to as the 'cradle of civilization' due to its significance in the fourth millennium BCE.

The Cradle of Civilization

Unlike more unified civilizations such as Egypt or Greece, Mesopotamia was a collection of varied cultures bonded by their script, gods, and treatment of women. The city of Akkad, for instance, had different social customs and laws than Babylon, even though women’s rights and literacy were valued across the region. The gods also had different names in various regions and periods. As a result, Mesopotamia should be understood as a region that produced multiple empires and civilizations rather than any single civilization. The Sumerian region in Mesopotamia is particularly notable for two significant developments in the 4th millennium BCE: the rise of the city, as we recognize the entity today, and the invention of writing.

Significant Inventions and Contributions

The invention of the wheel is also credited to the Mesopotamians. In 1922, the archaeologist Sir Leonard Woolley discovered the remains of two four-wheeled wagons at the site of the ancient city of Ur, which are the oldest wheeled vehicles in history. Other important developments and inventions attributed to Mesopotamia include domestication of animals, agriculture, common tools, sophisticated weaponry, the chariot, wine and beer, demarcation of time into hours, minutes, and seconds, religious rites, the sail, sailboats, and irrigation.

Ancient Mesopotamian Innovations

According to Orientalist Samuel Noah Kramer, Mesopotamia is the birthplace of 39 'firsts' in human civilization. These include the First Schools, The First Case of 'Apple Polishing', The First Case of Juvenile Delinquency, The First 'War of Nerves', The First Bicameral Congress, The First Historian, The First Case of Tax Reduction, The First 'Moses', The First Legal Precedent, The First Pharmacopoeia, The First 'Farmer's Almanac', The First Experiment in Shade-Tree Gardening, Man's First Cosmogony and Cosmology, The First Moral Ideals, The First 'Job', The First Proverbs and Sayings, The First Animal Fables, The First Literary Debates, The First Biblical Parallels, The First 'Noah', The First Tale of Resurrection, The First 'St. George', The First Case of Literary Borrowing, Man's First Heroic Age, The First Love Song, The First Library Catalogue, Man's First Golden Age, The First 'Sick' Society, The First Liturgic Laments, The First Messiahs, The First Long-Distance Champion, The First Literary Imagery, The First Sex Symbolism, The First Mater Dolorosa, The First Lullaby, The First Literary Portrait, The First Elegies, Labor's First Victory, and The First Aquarium.

Ancient glazed tiles from the gates of ancient Babylon in Iraq depict a lion, which is the symbol of Babylon and represents Ishtar, the goddess of fertility, love, and war. Although a single stone lion is the only true remaining structure of Babylon in Iraq today, its preservation is a testament to the region's rich history and cultural significance.