num_pages: 200
description: Mountains and Lowlands is an engaging exploration of the history of ancient Mesopotamia (modern Iraq) and Iran from 6000 BC-AD 650Ancient Mesopotamia and Iran are usually treated separately or as part of a much broader 'Ancient Near East'. However the developments that lie at the root of our own world - farming cities writing organized religion warfare - were forged in the tensions and relations between the inhabitants of lowland Mesopotamia (ancient Iraq) and the highlands of Iran. Mountains and Lowlands explores this relationship providing a detailed but accessible account covering the period 6000 BC AD 650 from the development of the first agricultural communities to the coming of Islam. The story is told through the superlative Ancient Near Eastern collections in the Ashmolean Museum Oxford supplemented by images of photographs of archaeological sites and of iconic pieces in other collections including the Louvre Paris. The discussion is further supported by six maps commissioned especially for this publication. Contents: 1. Introduction 2. From Village to City: 6000-3000 BC 3. From City to Kingdom: 3000-1500 BC 4. From Kingdom to Empire: 1500-500 BC 5. From India to Egypt: 500 BC-AD 650
language: English
title: Mountains and Lowlands: Ancient Iran and Mesopotamia
publisher: Ashmolean Museum