Mesopotamia

For a modern history of the region, see History of Iraq and History of Syria. For other uses see Mesopotamia (disambiguation)For Modern Mesopotamia see Kurdistan Also Assyrians and Sumerians

Mesopotamia (Greek: Μεσοποταμία, translated from Old Persian Miyanrudan "the Land between the Rivers" or the Aramaic name Beth-Nahrin "House of Two Rivers") is a region of Southwest Asia. Strictly speaking, it is the alluvial plain lying between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, near Iraq and Syria . More commonly, the term includes these river plains in totality as well as the surrounding lowland territories bounded by the Arabian Desert to the west and south, the Persian Gulf to the immediate south, the Zagros Mountains and the Caucasus mountains to the north. Mesopotamia is one of the oldest civilizations in the world. Also in the rivers, Tigris and Euphrates there are a few other powerful civilizations such as Assyrians and Sumerians which are part of Kurdistan.

Sumerian list of gods in cuneiform script, ca. 24th century BC

Writings from Mesopotamia (Uruk, modern Warka) are the earliest written work in the world, giving Mesopotamia the reputation of being the "Cradle of Civilization".

City states and Imperial glory

• Mesopotamia was home to some of the oldest major ancient civilizations, including the Sumerians, Akkadians and the Assyrians.

Yet Mesopotamia was also settled, and conquered, by numerous ancient civilizations.

• The Mitanni were an eastern Indo-European people (belonging to the linguistic "satem" group) who settled in northern Mesopotamia circa 1600 BC Northen Kurdistan and by circa 1450 BC established a medium-size empire east, north and west, and temporarily made tributary vassals out of kings in the west, even as far as Kafti (minoic Crete) and making them a major threat for the Pharao.
• 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 from heir capital of Hattusa Modern Turkey and threatened Egypt even more.
• Meanwhile the Kassites, from another Indo-european branch, established a strong realm, Sangar, in southern Mesopotamia, with Babel as its capital, not touched by Mitanni or Hettites. But the Elamites threatened or invaded them.
• Assyrians.
• Chaldaean New Babylonia circa 600 BC

Later history

• The region ceased to be a major power house since its inclusion in the Persian Empire of the Achaemenids, apparently as two satrapies, Babylonia in the south and Athura (from Assyria) in the north.
• After the conquest of all Persia by the hellenizing Macedonian king Alexander the Great, the satrapies were part of the major diadochy, the Seleucid empire, almost till its elimination by greater Armenia in 83 BC.
• Now most of Mesopotamia became part of the Parthian empire of the Arsakides.

However part, in the northwest, became Roman. Under the tetrarchy, this was divided into two provinces, called Osrhoene (around Edessa) and Mesopotamia (a bit more northeast)

• During the time of the Persian Empire of Sassanids, their much larger share of Mesopotamia was called Dil-i Iranshahr meaning "Iran's Heart" and the metropol Ctesiphon (facing ancient Seleukia across the Tigris), the capital of Persia, was situated in Mesopotamia.
• Since the early caliphs annexed all Persia and advanced even further, Mesopotmaia was reunited, but governed as two provinces : northern Mesopotamia (with Mosul) and southern Irak (with Bagdad, the later caliphal capital)

List of links

These civilizations arose from earlier settlements and cultures which were among the first to make use of agriculture.

• Neolithic settlements e.g., Jarmo, Tell Abu Hureyra
• Hassuna period
• Halaf period (or Halafian)
• Samarra period (or Samarran), e.g., Choga Mami
• Ubaid period, e.g., Eridu
• Uruk period, named after the city Uruk.
• Sumerian Early Dynastic period

Early cities in this region include:

Overview map of ancient Mesopotamia

• lower Mesopotamia / Sumer
  • Ur
  • Uruk
  • Isin
  • Lagash
• Akkad
  • Agade
  • Babylon
  • Kish
  • Nippur
• upper Mesopotamia
  • Assur
  • Ninive
  • Mari
  • Aleppo

See also

• Ancient Near East
• Fertile Crescent
• Anatolia
• Levant, History of the Levant
• Sumerian king list
• Chaldean mythology
• Parthians
• Iraq, History of Iraq
• Syria, History of Syria
• Music of Mesopotamia
• Mesopotamian Strategy and Tactics

Further reading

• A DWELLER IN MESOPOTAMIA, being the adventures of an official artist in the garden of Eden, by Donald Maxwell, 1921
• MESOPOTAMIAN ARCHAEOLOGY, by Percy S. P. Handcock, 1912

Disambiguation

• Mesopotamia is a town in the state of Ohio, USA.
• Mesopotamia is the name of B-52's song
• Mess O'Potamia is the name of a recurring segment on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart