Mesopotamian Inventions: Did you mean...?

The first tablet of Maqlu (Akkadian, which means burning), the Akkadian series of incantations directed against demons and witches. The spells involved the manufacturer of wax figurines; these would then be burned...

This adminsitrative document is dated to the "24th day of Kislimu in the 11th year Nabonidus, King of Babylon". It mentions "a slave of Bel-sharra-usur (Belshazzar),son of the king". Although Belshazzar is acting...

Clay plaque showing a man shooting at a monkey. The monkey is in the branches of a tree, in the centre. There is a boar at the foot of the right side of the tree. A kneeling man assists the shooter...

Clay cylinder with Babylonian characters, recording the restoration of Sin's ziggurat at Ur and also asking him to protect Nabonidus and his son Belshazzar. From Ur, Southern Mesopotamia, modern-day...

Three rounded ceramic objects with saw-teeth-like margins. They have small holes on both the ventral and the dorsal aspects. Upon moving them, a sound comes out as if there is a small object inside...

Mesopotamian female deity wearing a horned headdress and sitting on a chair or a throne, probably goddess Ishtar or goddess Bau. The lunar symbol of the moon god Sin appears at the upper part, flanking the headdress...

Mesopotamian amulet covered with a quotation from a poem, the Akkadian Erra Epic, thought suitable to ward off plague. From Ashur, Northern Mesopotamia, Iraq. Neo-Assyrian Period, 800-612 BCE. The British Museum...

Among the many contributions to world culture credited to Mesopotamia is an object so familiar to people in the modern world that few pause to consider its origin: the dog...

This article documents and elaborates on the many critical behind-the-scenes events, unknown to the public, before the history leaves us. The author The bulk of the “the land between the two rivers”...

Enki's Journey to Nippur (circa 2000 BCE) is a Sumerian origin myth explaining the creation of the temple at Eridu by the god Enki and how musical instruments were ordained for use in festivals in ancient...