Search
Search Results
Collection
Kingdoms & Empires of Ancient Mesopotamia
The region of ancient Mesopotamia was home to several key kingdoms and empires that left a lasting impact on the region and influenced future civilizations. One of the earliest empires was the Akkadian Empire, established by Sargon the...
Article
The Hymn to Ninkasi, Goddess of Beer
The Hymn to Ninkasi is at once a song of praise to Ninkasi, the Sumerian goddess of beer, and an ancient recipe for brewing. Written down in c. 1800 BCE, the hymn is no doubt much older as evidenced by the techniques it details which scholars...
Collection
Historical Fiction of Mesopotamia
Historical fiction is frequently dated to works including the Iliad of Homer (8th century BCE) or The Tale of Genji (11th century CE) or, in English, to the 19th century, usually to the works of Sir Walter Scott, but the genre has more ancient...
Article
Beer in the Ancient World
The intoxicant known in English as `beer' takes its name from the Latin `bibere' (by way of the German `bier') meaning `to drink' and the Spanish word for beer, cerveza' comes from the Latin word `cerevisia' for `of beer', giving some indication...
Definition
Sargon of Akkad
Sargon of Akkad (r. 2334 - 2279 BCE) was the king of the Akkadian Empire of Mesopotamia, the first multi-national empire in history, who united the disparate kingdoms of the region under a central authority. He is equally famous today as...
Definition
Hammurabi
Hammurabi (r. 1792-1750 BCE) was the sixth king of the Amorite First Dynasty of Babylon best known for his famous law code which served as the model for others, including the Mosaic Law of the Bible. He was the first ruler able to successfully...
Collection
Life in Mesopotamia
Even though Mesopotamia was never a single unified civilization, people led their lives following similar principles throughout the region and across time periods. As the birthplace of cities, agriculture, writing, and civilization in general...
Collection
Literature of Mesopotamia
The literature of Mesopotamia dates from c. 2600 BCE when scribes began composing original works in the region of Sumer. The Sumerians invented writing c. 3500 BCE, but it was then mostly used for record-keeping. The literature of ancient...
Definition
Ur
Ur was a city in the region of Sumer, southern Mesopotamia, and its ruins lie in what is modern-day Tell el-Muqayyar, Iraq. According to biblical tradition, the city is named after the man who founded the first settlement there, Ur, though...
Video
Mesopotamia and the Fertile Crescent - A Short History
Mesopotamia is an ancient region in the Middle East, east of the Mediterranean by the Zagros mountains, between the two rivers Tigris and Euphrates. The name ‘Mesopotamia’ comes from the Greek meaning ‘between two rivers’. The region is now...