Did you know that Mesopotamia is considered the first civilisation of the West? Through cuneiform writing we know its history, way of life and beliefs. The invention of writing marked the transition from prehistory to history.

In this video we are going to tell you where Mesopotamia was located, how it evolved over its 3,000 years of history, its social organisation, religious beliefs, artistic expressions and, perhaps most importantly, what from Mesopotamia still survives in our civilisation today.

Geographical location

The word Mesopotamia, meaning “land between rivers”, perfectly describes its geography: a vast plain situated between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in south-west Asia, in what is now mainly Iraq, extending into north-eastern Syria, south-eastern Turkey and parts of Iran.

The two great rivers, the Tigris and the Euphrates, were vital: they irrigated the fields, facilitated transport and made agriculture possible.

Mesopotamia was divided into two main areas.

Assyria in the north, inhabited by the Assyrians, with higher land rich in timber and minerals. Its capital was Nineveh.

Chaldea in the south, where the Sumerians and later the Chaldeans lived, a fertile plain where the first cities in the world emerged, including Babylon, near where Baghdad, the present-day capital of Iraq, now stands.

Its strategic location between Asia, Africa and Europe made Mesopotamia a centre of commercial and cultural exchange, but also a territory highly coveted by other peoples.

Duration and historical stages

Mesopotamian civilisation developed over three millennia, approximately between 3500 BC and 539 BC, when it fell under Persian rule. Throughout that time, different peoples and kingdoms rose and disappeared. Five main stages can be distinguished in the history of Mesopotamia.

In the Sumerian period, independent city-states were created, including Uruk, which is considered the first city in history. Cuneiform writing was invented, initially used for accounting purposes, and the wheel, the plough and copper and bronze metallurgy were developed. Monumental temples called ziggurats were also built, dedicated to their protective gods.

Around 2300 BC, the Akkadians, led by King Sargon, regarded as the first conqueror in history, conquered the Sumerian city-states and founded the Akkadian Empire.

Around 1800 BC, during the Babylonian Empire, supremacy passed to the city of Babylon under King Hammurabi, who unified all Mesopotamia and issued the famous Code of Hammurabi, one of the earliest legal codes in history.

In the north, the Assyrians, renowned as formidable warriors, created the powerful Assyrian Empire with cities such as Nineveh as its capital. They were skilled in warfare, trade and administration. Their most famous king, Ashurbanipal, established in Nineveh what is considered the first library in history, with thousands of cuneiform tablets.

Under King Nebuchadnezzar II, Babylon experienced a new golden age, known as the Neo-Babylonian Empire. Temples and walls were rebuilt and the city was embellished with the famous Hanging Gardens, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

However, this splendour did not last long: in 539 BC, the Persian king Cyrus II the Great conquered Babylon and brought Mesopotamian independence to an end, incorporating its territory into the Persian Empire.

Social organisation

Mesopotamian society was hierarchical and strongly controlled by political and religious power. It was a pyramidal society in which each group had specific functions.

The king was regarded as the representative of the gods on Earth. He directed the army, the justice system and religious worship. In the early period, power was divided between the king and the priests, but over time the monarch concentrated all authority in his hands.

The priests administered the temples and their resources and acted as astronomers, physicians and advisers.

The scribes, experts in cuneiform writing, were essential: they drafted laws, contracts, agricultural records and religious documents. Their education made them part of the elite.

Warriors and officials formed part of the upper class. They defended the city and held administrative positions. In the Assyrian Empire, the army was professional and greatly feared.

The middle class was made up of artisans and merchants who produced pottery, textiles, jewellery, weapons and tools.

Farmers and labourers constituted the majority of the population. They worked the lands belonging to the temple or the king and paid taxes in the form of agricultural products. They lived modestly in mud-brick houses.

At the base of the social pyramid were the slaves, who could be prisoners of war or people in debt. They worked in temples, on public works or as domestic servants. In some cases, however, they could buy their freedom.

Beliefs and religion

Religion in Mesopotamia was polytheistic: they believed in numerous gods associated with the forces of nature and the stars. It was a religion marked by fear and practicality, as the Mesopotamians depended on unpredictable phenomena such as river floods or storms.

The most important gods were Anu, god of the sky and considered the father of the gods, and Marduk, supreme god of Babylon and symbol of power and order.

Art and architecture

Mesopotamian art had a religious and practical purpose: to glorify the gods and the kings and to reflect social order. Its most recognised artistic expressions were temples and sculptures.

The temples, known as ziggurats, were built as stepped towers crowned with a shrine at the top, symbolising the connection between heaven and earth.

The sculptures were solemn and realistic. They represented gods, kings and rulers, generally with large eyes and a static appearance; also characteristic were the lamassu, sculptures of winged bulls with human heads.

Legacy of Mesopotamia

Mesopotamia was the first civilisation recognised as such and has left an indelible mark on the history of humanity.

According to most archaeologists and historians, Uruk, in the south of present-day Iraq, was the first recognised city in history. It reached its height around 3200 BC, with temples, districts and walls; it had between 40,000 and 50,000 inhabitants, an enormous number for the time.

The invention of cuneiform writing represented a major intellectual leap for humanity. Thanks to it, history as we know it was born; for the first time, human beings were able to record their thoughts in writing. It used wedge-shaped signs impressed with a stylus onto wet clay tablets. At first it was used for accounting and recording transactions, but later it was used for laws, literature and various forms of knowledge.

The Code of Hammurabi, engraved in stone, contains 282 laws regulating daily life: trade, family, inheritance, work and justice. It consolidated the authority of the king and laid the foundations of law and justice in history.

Mesopotamia was not merely a geographical region, but the origin of our history as an organised society. In the words of many historians, Mesopotamia was the laboratory where human civilisation was born.