Facts About Mesopotamia, the Civilization Between Two Rivers

Mesopotamia is the earliest civilization in the world, before Egypt, China or Greece. The word Mesopotamia originated from Greek means the land between two rivers. Mesopotamia is one of the most amazing civilizations that lasted for over 4000 years.

• Mesopotamia is the area geographically located between Tigris River and Euphrates River that flow from the highlands in Turkey down to Iraq before ending at the Persian Gulf.
• The Sumerians were not the first to inhabit the land of Mesopotamia. The land where the civilization once stands was also home to the Neolithic people. The Sumerians continue to develop the land and form a civilization.
• Citizens of Mesopotamia do not worship their king except during the ruling of King Naram-Sin (2291-2255 BC) in the Akkad empire. Naram-Sin forced the people of Akkad to worship him after being able to conquer a vast kingdom.
• Astronomy is also a field of study during the Mesopotamia civilization. Astronomers back then use their findings in their solar system in navigation and calendar that consists of 12 months in a year.
• A ziggurat is a place of worship, trading and storage of the nation’s treasure located at the centre of the Mesopotamia city.

• There are 282 laws written in the Hammurabi code of laws. The laws were chiseled on pillars and walls around Mesopotamia. The laws were based on citizen rights on justice. According to the Hammurabi laws, punishment on the prosecuted differs depending on social status.

• A royal library containing 22 000-clay tablets was found in Nineveh. The royal library founded by Ashurbanipal (668-627 BC) stored medical formulas, letters, business documents and war chronicles.