The most important cultures of ancient Mesopotamia

We review the characteristics of the most outstanding civilizations of this historical region.

Explorers say that this is where it all began, the cradle of civilizations.

The so-called Ancient Mesopotamiawhich is located in the Middle East today, has seen the birth of many of the most prosperous civilizations in the history of mankind. Predecessors of all the culture acquired worldwide, with more than six thousand years of history, were especially important Babylon, Assyria and the Sumerians.

The name Mesopotamia has a meaning that has been translated into various ancient languages of the time: it means "between two rivers". The origin of the name is due to the geographical situation of its culture, located between the Euphrates and Tigris rivers, which are part of present-day Syria and Iraq. Among many of the influences and inheritances that have been assumed, even forming part of our present time, one fact stands out in particular, that of writing.

Origin and territorial extension of Mesopotamia

Given the antiquity and the transformation that the area has undergone since the first archaeological remains were discovered, the extension of Ancient Mesopotamia is very significant.. We could say that it starts from Anatolia (east of present-day Turkey) to the Persian Gulf of Iran. Note that this is an approximate geographical location, as there may be some discrepancies among expert historians.

Given that the origin of Mesopotamia is credited between 5000 and 6000 B.C., it can be intuited that the techniques of ramaderia and fishing, agriculture and livestock were originated in those lands. Subsequently, these events led to the development of cities with all their meaning: administration, cultural spaces and circular economy. Some of the first cities were Choga Mami, Buqras or Yarim.

The cultures that influenced the development of Ancient Mesopotamia were several. First was the Umm Dabaghiyah culture; later it was replaced by the Hassuna-Samarra culture and finally we find the Halaf or late Halaf culture (around 4,000 B.C.).

The main Mesopotamian cultures

A territory with so much history would not be understandable without the identification of the cultures that formed it. Below we will highlight the most relevant we will highlight the most relevant cultures that gave rise to Ancient Mesopotamia..

1. The Sumerians

The Sumerians were the first civilization of the region.. They founded the first city-states such as Uma, Ur, Eridu, and Ea. As impressive as it may seem, at that time there was already a certain awareness of the State as a model of society and political system, in a very archaic way of course, where a single figure with absolute power over the masses reigned, whom the Sumerians called "vicar", the protector god of the city.

In addition, it was during this period that the first pictograms are recorded, which would be the origin of writing, since this technique is based on the assimilation of drawings to words. The construction of temples and walls to surround the cities as a protective measure suggests that there were various battles between the peoples of the area.

2. The Akkadians

As it has been happening throughout the history of humanity, the success immediately attracted the enemies of the area. Different nomadic peoples, especially from the Arabian Peninsula such as the Syrians, Hebrews and Arabs decided to invade intensively the territories developed by the Sumerians. The absolute dominance of these civilizations dates back to 2,500 BC.

The Akkadians were the most important group in Mesopotamia thanks to King Sargon, who founded the capital of Agathon.who founded the capital of Agade to replace Kis after the defeat of the Lugalzagesi empire. The dynasty of Sargon had to face for centuries to different internal revolts in the struggle for power, a fact that brought down the Akkadian empire around 2,200 BC at the hands of the Gutis and Morreos.

3. The Assyrians and Babylonians

After a brief "reconquest" of the Sumerians of the lands usurped by the Akkadians, the Babylonian and Assyrian empires were the most influential cultures of ancient Mesopotamia.The Babylonian Empire, constituting a new model of unified empire that would be adopted even by the modern monarchs of Western Europe as the dominant political system.

Under Hammurabi's rule, an extensive struggle for the expansion of territory and cultural hegemony began, making the city of Babylon its capital. At this time the first laws and codes were established to cement a model of effective administration as the empire was endowed with more dominion than needed control.

Surely the Assyrian empire is the most important for its tremendous military practices to which they subdued the dominated people. They were brutal, implacable, bloodthirsty and incompassionate. They razed the preceding culture and imposed their own. Equally, not everything was fierce battles. The Assyrians incorporated innovative irrigation techniques, river inflows and a cultural legacy that to this day is still classified as one of the most beautiful in the world.