The world’s first known author is widely considered to be Enheduanna, a woman who lived in the 23rd century BCE in ancient Mesopotamia (approximately 2285-2250 BCE). Enheduanna is a remarkable figure: ...

Driving north out of Samawa towards Baghdad, a short way beyond the Euphrates bridge, a tarmac track leaves the main road, heading eastwards into a scarred, dun-coloured wasteland. Soon you enter the ...

This is a companion volume and sequel to Early Mesopotamia and Iran: Contact and Conflict, c. 3500-1600 BC. "Funded by a gift from Raymond and Beverly Sackler." Published for the Trustees of the ...

Picture writing was invented in Mesopotamia before 3,000 BC. This clay tablet, dating to about 3,100 BC, has written on it a list of rations. It shows how writing was developing from using pictures to ...

Mesopotamia is not only the earliest-known settlement but also responsible for laying the foundation of the world as we know it today Driving north out of Samawa towards Baghdad, a short way beyond ...

The idea of Mesopotamia has intoxicated the West for centuries. Alastair Sooke takes a look at a civilisation where much of modern culture took form. “Everybody has heard of the Hanging Gardens of ...

Things like laws, scripts and languages are vital parts of civilisations. But they don't just suddenly pop into being out of the blue. They take centuries to change and evolve. In fact, some of our ...

For instance, there's some doubt over whether Thomas Edison really came up with the idea of the motion picture camera — or whether he pinched it. There's also a question mark over whether "ignored" ...

Mesopotamia was a huge empire that spanned much of the Middle East, including modern day Iraq, Kuwait, eastern Syria, south eastern Turkey and bordering regions. A kingdom settled on fertile lands ...

With Iraq currently in the world's spotlight, trace its beginnings in Mesopotamia - its name in ancient times. Mesopotamia has been called the 'cradle of civilisation' because agriculture, animal ...