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Mesopotamia Facts

Mesopotamia Facts
Mesopotamia is the name of an ancient region which means the land between two rivers. Mesopotamia made up most of what is today Iraq, and is considered to be the first civilization. It was in Mesopotamia that people first began to live in large cities and created governments. Mesopotamia is often referred to as the ‘Cradle of Life'. Mesopotamia included a region of approximately 300 miles long by 150 miles wide. The Mesopotamian culture also developed the first written language, religion, and agriculture. Mesopotamia was located between the Tigris River and the Euphrates River.
Interesting Mesopotamia Facts:
The land on the sides of the rivers was fertile while the general area was not and this led to irrigation techniques.
Mesopotamia's major cities included Baghdad, Babylon and Nippur.
Baghdad is located in the middle of Iraq by the Tigris River; Babylon was located along the Euphrates River; Nippur was located approximately 100 miles south of Babylon.
Babylon was the capital of Mesopotamia.
Mesopotamians developed glass, the Pythagorean Theorem, and ancient sanitation techniques.
Mesopotamians invented the wheel in approximately 3500 BC, changing transportation forever.
Although most of the region that encompassed Mesopotamia is now desert, it often experienced flooding in ancient Mesopotamian times.
Mesopotamians farmed crops of vegetables, fruits, sesame, wheat, barley and raised pigs, sheep and cattle.
The Mesopotamians invented the seeder plow which made it possible for farmers to plow and seed at the same time, saving time and energy.
The first cities in the world appeared in Mesopotamia in approximately 4000 to 3500 BC.
It is believed that the first city ever created was Eridu, an ancient site in Mesopotamia.
The ancient Mesopotamians had hundreds of Gods that they worshipped.
Mesopotamians had relationships with their own personal gods who they believed would talk to other gods on their behalf.
Every city in Mesopotamia had its own god.
Mesopotamians had different gods for different professions.
Major gods in Mesopotamia included Anu (father of gods and the sky), Enlil (god of the air), Utu (god of sun and truth and justice), Nanna (moon god), Inanna (goddess of love and war), Ninhursag (goddess of earth), and Enki (god of fresh water, wisdom and magic).
The first form of ancient writing was invented by the Sumerians. They wrote on tablets and drew pictures which represented ideas or objects.
Eventually the pictograms became wedge-shaped signs that could be pressed into clay because it was difficult to draw on clay.
The wedge-shaped writing is called cuneiform and was a great achievement because it allowed information to be transferred from place to place with accuracy.
Ancient Mesopotamians were masters of brick and mud construction, and brick-making became a major industry in Mesopotamia.
Women in Mesopotamia were housekeepers, mothers and wives.
At the age of only 12 girls were considered to be ready to get married.
Mesopotamians were the first to grasp the concept of the number zero, and the first to begin experimenting with mathematical problems.
Money did not exist in Mesopotamia so they used weight to buy and sell items.
It is believed that the Mesopotamians invented the sailboat.


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