Mesopotamian civilization

Syllable breakdown

Dictionary meaning

the complex of urban, literate, and politically organised societies that developed in the land between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers from approximately 3500 BCE, encompassing the Sumerian, Akkadian, Babylonian, and Assyrian cultures and recognised as one of the earliest cradles of human civilisation; Mesopotamia produced the world's first writing system (cuneiform), first law codes (including the Code of Hammurabi), first cities (Uruk, Ur, Nippur), and rich traditions in astronomy, mathematics, literature, and architecture; the Epic of Gilgamesh, among the oldest surviving works of literature, originated in Sumer; Mesopotamian agricultural techniques, urban organisation, and administrative systems influenced civilisations from Egypt to the Indus Valley; modern Iraq, northeast Syria, and southeast Turkey occupy the territory of ancient Mesopotamia