Ancient Mesopotamia was settled and conquered by numerous ancient civilizations. It is very important to remember that the dates for events in ancient Mesopotamia are still controversial, and several different methods and standards of dating exist chronology of the Ancient Near East]]), therefore, dates contained herein are only estimates. Mesopotamia has been home to some of the oldest major civilizations, including the Sumerians, Akkadians, Babylonians, and Assyrians. This is an article about the ancient middle eastern region. ... For other uses, see Civilization (disambiguation). ... Sumer (or Shumer, Sumeria, Shinar, native ki-en-gir) formed the southern part of Mesopotamia from the time of settlement by the Sumerians until the time of Babylonia. ... Akkad (or Agade) was a city and its region of northern Iraq) between Assyria to the northwest and Sumer to the south. ... Babylonia was an ancient state in Iraq), combining the territories of Sumer and Akkad. ... It has been suggested that Assyrian people be merged into this article or section. ...

Prehistory

The Fertile Crescent was inhabited with several distinct, flourishing cultures between the end of the last ice age (c. 10,000 BC) and the beginning of history. These include the Ubaid culture and the Uruk period. One of the oldest known Neolithic sites in Mesopotamia is Jarmo, settled around 7000 BC and broadly contemporary with Jericho and Çatal Hüyük (Anatolia). It as well as other early Neolithic sites were in north Mesopotamia; late Sumerian settlements in southern Mesopotamia required complicated irrigation methods. The Fertile Crescent is a historical crescent-shape region in the Middle East incorporating the Levant, Mesopotamia and Ancient Egypt. ... The tell (mound) of Ubaid near Ur in southern Iraq has given its name to the prehistoric culture which represents the earliest settlement on the alluvial plain of southern Mesopotamia. ... The Uruk period is a protohistoric sequence in the history of Mesopotamia which stretches from 4100 to 3300 BC, before the apparition of a writing system. ... An array of Neolithic artifacts, including bracelets, axe heads, chisels, and polishing tools. ... Jarmo (Qalat Jarmo) is an archeological site located in northern Iraq on the foothills of Zagros Mountains east of Kirkuk city. ... The Taking of Jericho, by Jean Fouquet Near central Jericho, November 1996 Jericho (Arabic  , Hebrew  , ʼArīḥā; Standard YÉ™riḥo Tiberian YÉ™rîḫô / YÉ™rîḥô; meaning fragrant.[1] Greek Ἱεριχώ) is a town in Palestine, located within the Jericho Governorate, near the Jordan River. ... Excavations at the South Area of Çatal Höyük Çatalhöyük (also Çatal Höyük and Çatal Hüyük, or any of the three without accent marks -- Çatal is Turkish for fork and Höyük is Turkish for mound) was a very large Neolithic and... Anatolia and Europe Anatolia (Turkish: from Greek: Ανατολία - Anatolia) is a peninsula of Western Asia which forms the greater part of the Asian portion of Turkey, as opposed to the European portion (Thrace, or traditionally Rumelia). ... Irrigation is the artificial application of water to the soil. ...

Sumer

Overview map of ancient Mesopotamia

Main article: Sumer

The Sumerians were firmly established in Mesopotamia by the middle of the 4th millennium BC, although scholars dispute when they arrived. It is hard to tell where the Sumerians might have come from because the language Sumerian is a language isolate, unrelated to any other known language. Their mythology includes many references to the area of Mesopotamia but little clue regarding their place of origin, perhaps indicating that they had been there for a long time. The Sumerian language is identifiable from the period of 3200–2900 onward. Image File history File links Used the blank world map from Wikimedia commons to create an inset to show where the map is. ... Image File history File links Used the blank world map from Wikimedia commons to create an inset to show where the map is. ... Sumer (or Å umer) was the earliest known civilization of the ancient Near East, located in lower Mesopotamia (modern Iraq) from the time of the earliest records in the mid 4th millennium BC until the rise of Babylonia in the late 3rd millennium BC. The term Sumerian applies to all speakers... (5th millennium BC – 4th millennium BC – 3rd millennium BC - other millennia) // Events Sumerian city of Ur in Mesopotamia (40th century BC); Sumerian hegemony in Mesopotamia, with the invention of writing, base-60 mathematics, astronomy and astrology, civil law, complex hydrology, the sailboat, the wheel, and the potters wheel, 4000... A language isolate, in the absolute sense, is a natural language with no demonstrable genealogical (or genetic) relationship with other living languages; that is, one that has not been demonstrated to descend from an ancestor common to any other language. ... Mesopotamian mythology is the collective name given to Sumerian, Akkadian, Assyrian, and Babylonian mythologies from the land between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in Iraq. ...

In the mid-4th throughout the 3rd millennium BC, various city-states gained power at various times. Eridu, Uruk, Ur, Lagash, Kish, Nippur, and Girsu were all important urban centers. Especially in the 4th millennium, Uruk was one of the most important centers in the region. It is during this period that Uruk and some other urban centers started experimenting with writing, invented the wheel, and stepped up metal production and stonework. This was also the time of Gilgamesh, a semi-historical king of Uruk, and the subject of the famous Epic of Gilgamesh. The 3rd millennium BC spans the Early to Middle Bronze Age. ... A city-state is a region controlled exclusively by a city. ... Eridu (or Eridug) was an ancient city seven miles southwest of Ur . ... Uruk (Sumerian Unug, Biblical Erech, Greek Orchoë and Arabic وركاء Warka), was an ancient city of Sumer and later Babylonia, situated east of the present bed of the Euphrates, on the line of the ancient Nil canal, in a region of marshes, about 140 miles (230 km) SSE from Baghdad. ... For other uses, see Ur (disambiguation). ... Lagash or Sirpurla was one of the oldest cities of Sumer and later Babylonia. ... Kish, an ancient city in Sumer, now in Iraq Kish, an Iranian island and city in the Persian Gulf Kish, a person in Bible The Kish Bank is a shallow in the Irish Sea, a fishing ground. ... The city of Nippur (Sumerian Nibru, Akkadian Nibbur) (now it is in Afak town,Al Qadisyah Governorate) was one of the most ancient (some historians date it back to 5262 B.C. [1][2]) of all the Babylonian cities of which we have any knowledge, the special seat of the... Girsu (modern Telloh, Dhi Qar Governorate, Iraq) is a city of ancient Sumer, situated some 25 km northwest of Lagash. ... Illustration of a scribe writing Writing, in its most common sense, is the preservation of and the preserved text on a medium, with the use of signs or symbols. ... The force bearing on the axle has an eccentricity e with the point of contact to the rolling surface and exerts a moment about the contact point. ... Gilgamesh, according to the Sumerian king list, was the fifth king of Uruk (Early Dynastic II, first dynasty of Uruk), the son of Lugalbanda, ruling circa 2650 BC. He is also the central character in the Epic of Gilgamesh, which says that his mother was Ninsun, (whom some call Rimat... The Epic of Gilgamesh is an epic poem from Babylonia and is among the earliest known literary works. ...

By the 3rd millennium, these urban centers had developed into increasingly complex societies. Irrigation and other means of exploiting food sources were being used to amass large surpluses, huge building projects were being undertaken by rulers, and political organization was becoming evermore sophisticated. Look up city, City in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

The chronology of this era is particularly uncertain, as it was early in the history of writing. Also, the multitude of city-states made for a confusing situation, as each had its own history. The Sumerian king list is one record of the political history of the period. It starts with mythological figures with improbably long reigns, but later rulers have been authenticated with archaeological evidence. The first of these is Enmebaragesi of Kish. However, one complication of the Sumerian king list is that although dynasties are listed in sequential order, some of them actually ruled at the same time over different areas. The Sumerian king list is an ancient text in the Sumerian language listing kings of Sumer from Sumerian and foreign dynasties. ... This July 2007 does not cite any references or sources. ... Enmebaragesi (Me-Baragesi, En-Men-Barage-Si, Enmebaragisi), according to the Sumerian king list, was a king of Kish who subdued Elam and reigned 900 years, but was captured single handedly by Dumuzid the fisherman of Uruk, predecessor of Gilgamesh. ...

Akkadian Empire

Main article: Akkadian Empire

In 2334 BC (short chronology), Sargon established the Dynasty of Agade (sometimes called Akkad) in Mesopotamia. He conquered an area stretching from the Persian Gulf to the Mediterranean, including Mesopotamia, Elam, Mari, and Ebla, and the entire area was united under centralized rule. The Akkadians were a Semitic people; the Akkadian language became dominant in this period. The Dynasty continued until around c. 2200, and included the famous ruler Naram-Sin. The Akkadian Empire usually refers to the Semitic speaking state that grew up around the city of Akkad north of Sumer, and reached its greatest extent under Sargon of Akkad. ... (Redirected from 2334 BC) (25th century BC - 24th century BC - 23rd century BC - other centuries) (4th millennium BC - 3rd millennium BC - 2nd millennium BC) Events 2900 - 2334 BC -- Mesopotamian wars of the Early Dynastic period 2350 BC - End of the Early Dynastic IIIb Period in Mesopotamia 2334 - 2279 BC -- Sargon... The Chronology of the Ancient Orient deals with the notoriously difficult task of assigning years of the Common Era to various events, rulers and dynasties of the 3rd and 2nd millennia BC. The chronology of this region is based on five sets of primary materials. ... Sargon of Akkad, also known as Sargon the Great (Akkadian Šarru-kinu, cuneiform ŠAR.RU.KI.IN , meaning the true king or the king is legitimate), was an Akkadian king famous for his conquest of the Sumerian city-states in the 24th and 23rd centuries BC.[1] The founder of... For the Egyptian writer, see Abbas Al-Akkad. ... Map of the Persian Gulf. ... Composite satellite image of the Mediterranean Sea. ... Elam (Persian: تمدن ایلام) is one of the oldest recorded civilizations. ... Mari may refer to: Ethnic Mari El, a republic of Russian Federation Mari language, Finno-Ugric language Mari people, a Volga-Finnic people People Mari (composer), a video game music composer Mari (singer), a female vocalist Saint Mari, a Christian saint Other Mari (goddess), the main divinity of pre-Christian... Ebla is not to be confused with Elba. ... In linguistics and ethnology, Semitic (from the Biblical Shem, Hebrew: שם, translated as name, Arabic: سام) was first used to refer to a language family of largely Middle Eastern origin, now called the Semitic languages. ... ...

The Akkadian Empire lost power after the reign of Naram-Sin, and eventually was invaded by the Guti from the Zagros Mountains. For a century they controlled Mesopotamia, but they left few inscriptions, so are not well understood. The Gutians (also: Quti, Kuti, Gurti, Qurti, Kurti) were a people of ancient Mesopotamia who lived primarily in the central Zagros Range, most probably an Aryan people. ...

Third dynasty of Ur

Main article: Third Dynasty of Ur

Eventually the Guti were overthrown by Utu-hegal of Uruk, and various city-states vied for power. Power over the area finally went to the city-state of Ur, when the Third Dynasty of Ur (Ur III) was founded. State control over industry reached a level never again seen in the region. Famous Ur III rulers include Ur-Nammu, who conquered the empire, and Shulgi, who devised the Code of Ur-Nammu, one of the earliest known law codes (three centuries before the more famous Code of Hammurabi). The Third Dynasty of Ur refers simultaneously to a 21st to 20th century BC (short chronology) Sumerian ruling dynasty based in the city of Ur and a short-lived territorial-political state that some historians regard as a nascent empire. ... Utu-hegal was one of the first King of Sumer after centuries of Akkadian and Gutian rule. ... Ur-Nammu (or Urnamma) was an ancient Sumerian king of Ur, fl. ... Shulgi of Urim is the second king of the Sumerian Renaissance. He reigned for 48 years, dated to 2047 BC–1999 BC short chronology (also tentatively dated to 2161 BC–2113 BC on the basis of a solar eclipse). ... The Code of Ur-Nammu is the oldest known tablet containing a law code surviving today. ... An inscription of the Code of Hammurabi The Code of Hammurabi (also known as the Codex Hammurabi and Hammurabis Code), created ca. ...

In c. 2000 BC, the power of Ur waned, and the Amorites, nomads from the desert beyond Mesopotamia, came to occupy much of the area. However, it was the continual enemy of Sumer, Elam, that finally overthrew Ur. This marked the end of city-states ruling empires in Mesopotamia, and the end of Sumerian dominance, but the succeeding rulers adopted much of Sumerian civilization as their own. Amorite (Hebrew ’emōrî, Egyptian Amar, Akkadian Amurrū (corresponding to Sumerian MAR.TU or Martu) refers to a Semitic people who occupied the middle Euphrates area from the second half of the third millennium BC and also appear in the Tanakh. ... Communities of nomadic people move from place to place, rather than settling down in one location. ... Elam (Persian: تمدن ایلام) is one of the oldest recorded civilizations. ...

Isin-Larsa period

The next two centuries or so were dominated by the cities of Isin and Larsa in the south of Mesopotamia, as the two cities vied for dominance. However, they also marked the growth of power in the north of Mesopotamia. Up until this point, the north had little or no writing and fewer big cities, but in this period, the cities of Assur and Eshnunna became important and participated in wars and diplomacy with the south. An International Securities Identifying Number (ISIN) uniquely identifies a security. ... Larsa (the Biblical Ellasar, Genesis 14:1), was an important city of ancient Babylonia, the site of the worship of the sun-god, Shamash, represented by the ancient ruin mound of Senkereh (Senkera). ... Assur (Assyrian: ܐܫܘܪ) also spelled Ashur, from Assyrian Aššur, was the capital of ancient Assyria. ... Eshnunna is the transliteration of the ancient name of a Sumerian city and city-state in lower Mesopotamia. ...

Old Babylonian Empire

Main article: First Babylonian Dynasty

In the end, a city and dynasty that seemed minor during the wars of Isin and Larsa came to power. Hammurabi (r. 1792-1750 BC, short chronology), ruler of Babylon, conquered Mesopotamia. He is justly famous for his law code and conquests, but he is also famous due to the large amount of records that exist from the period of his reign. The chronology of the first dynasty of Babylonia is debated, because there is a Babylonian King List A and a Babylonian King List B. Hereby we follow temporarily the regnal years of List A, because those are widely used, although we believe that the other list is better, at least... This diorite head is believed to represent Hammurabi Hammurabi (Akkadian from Amorite ˤAmmurāpi, the kinsman is a healer, from ˤAmmu, paternal kinsman, and Rāpi, healer; 1810 BC?–1750 BC) also rarely transliterated Ammurapi, Hammurapi, or Khammurabi) was the sixth king of Babylon. ... The Chronology of the Ancient Orient deals with the notoriously difficult task of assigning years of the Common Era to various events, rulers and dynasties of the 3rd and 2nd millennia BC. The chronology of this region is based on five sets of primary materials. ... Babylon (in Arabic: بابل; in Syriac: ܒܒܙܠ in Hebrew:בבל) was an ancient city in Mesopotamia (modern Al Hillah, Iraq), the ruins of which can be found in present-day Babil Province, about 80km south of Baghdad. ...

After the death of Hammurabi, the Babylonian dynasty lasted for another century, but many of the lands conquered by Hammurabi became independent and Mesopotamia was again a patchwork of competing principalities. The dynasty ended in 1595 BC, when Babylonia fell to the Hittites. Relief of Suppiluliuma II, last known king of the Hittite Empire The Hittites were an ancient people who spoke an Indo-European language, and established a kingdom centered at Hattusa (Hittite URU) in north-central Anatolia from the 18th century BC. In the 14th century BC, the Hittite empire was...

Kassite dynasty

Although the Hittites overthrew Babylon, another people, the Kassites, took it as their capital (1595-1157 BC). They have the distinction of being the longest lasting dynasty in Babylon, reigning for over four centuries. They left few records, and so this period is unfortunately obscure. In the north, Assyria was an important power, and threatened Kassite rule. // The Kassites were a Near-Eastern mountain tribe which migrated to the Zagros Mountains and Mesopotamia (present Doroud) in 3000 and 4000 BC.[1] They spoke a non-Indo-European, non-Semitic language. ...

Although Mesopotamia maintained its independence through this period, it was not a power in the Near East, and mostly sat out the large wars fought over the Levant between Egypt, the Hittite Empire, and Mitanni (see below), as well as independent peoples in the region. Assyria participated in these wars toward the end of the period, but the Kassites in Babylon did not, although they did fight (as always) with Elam to the east. In the end, the Elamites conquered Babylon, bringing this period to an end. The Levant The Levant (IPA: /lÉ™vænt/) is an imprecise geographical term historically referring to a large area in the Middle East south of the Taurus Mountains, bounded by the Mediterranean Sea on the west, and by the northern Arabian Desert and Upper Mesopotamia to the east. ... Hittites is the conventional English-language term for an ancient people who spoke an Indo-European language and established a kingdom centered in Hattusa (the modern village of Boğazköy in todayss north-central Turkey), through most of the second millennium BC. The Hittite kingdom, which at...

Hurrians

Main article: Mitanni

The Hurrians were a people who settled in northern Mesopotamia circa 1600 BC South-East of Turkey and by circa 1450 BC established a medium-sized empire called Mitanni, and temporarily made tributary vassals out of kings in the west, making them a major threat for the Pharaoh in Egypt. Kingdom of Mitanni Mitanni (cuneiform KUR URUMi-it-ta-ni, also Mittani Mi-ta-an-ni, in Assyrian sources Hanigalbat, Khanigalbat cuneiform Ḫa-ni-gal-bat ) was a Hurrian kingdom in northern Mesopotamia from ca. ... A vassal, in European medieval feudalism terminology, is one who through a commendation ceremony (composed of homage and fealty) enters into mutual obligations with a lord, usually military conscription and mutual protection, in exchange for a fief. ... Pharaoh was the ancient Egyptian name for the office of kingship. ...

By 1300 BC they had been reduced to their homeland and the status of vassal of the Hatti (the Hittites), a western Indo-European people (belonging to the linguistic "kentum" group) who dominated most of Asia Minor in modern Turkey from their capital of Hattusa. Relief of Suppiluliuma II, last known king of the Hittite Empire The Hittites were an ancient people who spoke an Indo-European language, and established a kingdom centered at Hattusa (Hittite URU) in north-central Anatolia from the 18th century BC. In the 14th century BC, the Hittite empire was... Anatolia (Greek: ανατολη anatole, rising of the sun or East; compare Orient and Levant, by popular etymology Turkish Anadolu to ana mother and dolu filled), also called by the Latin name of Asia Minor, is a region of Southwest Asia which corresponds today to... The Lion Gate in the south-west Hattusa (also known as Hattusas or Khattushash) was the capital of the Hittite Empire. ...

Dark age of Mesopotamia

Records from the 12th and 11th centuries BC are sparse, but Assyria and Babylon remained important. The 10th century is even worse, with very few inscriptions. Mesopotamia was not alone in this obscurity: the Hittite empire fell at the beginning of this period and the Egyptians left few records. This was a time of invasion by many new people throughout the Near East.

Iron Age

Further information: Assyria, Urartu, and Neo-Hittite

Neo-Assyrian Empire (911-612 BC) An Assyrian winged bull, or lamassu. ... Urartu at its greatest extent 743 BC Urartu (Biainili in Urartian) was an ancient kingdom in the mountainous plateau between Asia Minor, Mesopotamia, and Caucasus mountains, later known as the Armenian Highland, and it centered around Lake Van (present-day eastern Turkey). ... The Neo-Assyrian Empire in the 9th to 7th centuries BC The so-called Neo-Hittite or post-Hittite states were Luwian-speaking political entities of Iron Age Syria that arose after the collapse of the Hittite Empire around 1180 BC and lasted until roughly 700 BC, the time of...

Neo-Babylonian Empire

Main article: Neo-Babylonian Empire

• Chaldaean New Babylonia circa 600 BC......

Through the centuries of Assyrian domination, Babylonia enjoyed a prominent status, or revolting at the slightest indication that it did not. ...

Persian Mesopotamia

• Achaemenid Empire 500–330 BC
• Seleucid Empire (Hellenistic Persia) 330 BC–250 BC
• Parthian Empire 250 BC–AD 226
• Sassanid Empire AD 226–651
• Islamic conquest of Persia