Ancient Mesopotamia
Babylon, Iraq
Mesopotamia, between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, is often called the cradle of civilisation. Here the Sumerians built the first cities and invented writing, and Babylonians and Assyrians later ruled great empires. Their gods controlled the rivers, storms and harvests on which everyone depended, and were worshipped atop towering stepped temples called ziggurats.
The gods
Temples & monuments
Achievements
Invented writing (cuneiform) and the first known cities
Created the wheel, the plough and early mathematics based on 60
Wrote the Epic of Gilgamesh, one of the oldest stories on Earth
Natural wonders
The Tigris and Euphrates
The twin rivers whose floods and silt made farming — and the first cities — possible.
The Marshes of the South
Vast reed wetlands where some of the earliest Mesopotamian communities lived.
Archaeological Library
Watch how we uncovered Ancient Mesopotamia — real discoveries that revealed this ancient world.
The Royal Tombs of Ur
Dazzling gold and lapis treasures from the graves of Sumerian royalty.
Watch on YouTube →The Epic of Gilgamesh Tablets
Clay tablets preserving one of the oldest stories ever written down.
Watch on YouTube →The Ishtar Gate
Babylon's brilliant blue-tiled gateway, pieced back together from excavated bricks.
Watch on YouTube →