Mesopotamian Inventions: Did you mean...?

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 them. May have been used in religious settings...

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, London.

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. Elaborate dress and braided...

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 collar. Throughout the ancient world, from China to Rome, dogs are...

Ereshkigal (also known as Irkalla and Allatu) is the Mesopotamian Queen of the Dead who rules the underworld. Her name translates as 'Queen of the Great Below' or 'Lady of the Great Place.' She was responsible for both keeping the dead within...

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” lies in what we call today the Republic...

Enki's Journey to Nippur (c. 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 Mesopotamia. The poem formed part of...

Naram-Sin (reign 2254-2218 BCE) was the last great king of the Akkadian Empire and the grandson of Sargon the Great (reign 2334-2279 BCE), who founded the empire. He is considered the most important Akkadian king after Sargon (or, according...

A pottery incense container found at layer 5 of the altar platform of the central temple of Basmosian Hill, Mesopotamia, Hurrian period, 2nd millennium BCE. Sulaimaniya Museum, Iraq.

These rings were found on the fingers of a woman named Puabi, inside her grave. Puabi was a Semitic Akkadian woman from Ur, c. 2600 BCE, possibly a queen or priestess. Two rings were made of gold wire that was twisted before being wound...