Mesopotamia

***Well, Agent, let's explore the first point in time that Ophelia Chill will attack: Mesopotamia.***

The lands of *Mesopotamia* were found between two rivers, the *Tigris River* and the *Euphrates River*. In fact, the word "Mesopotamia" means "between rivers" in Greek. The area is now known as *Iraq* and Syria.

This area is where mankind's first great civilizations began. Many different groups of people lived and ruled here throughout the centuries including the Amorites, the Kassites, and the Assyrians. But I'd like to take a closer look at three of the more well-known cultures: the Sumerians, the Akkadians, and the Babylonians.

## Sumer

Around 3000 BC, an ancient people called the *Sumerians* settled in the fertile lands of Mesopotamia. They called the land *Sumer*, and they started one of the world's earliest civilizations there.

The Sumerians lived in large cities. Each city was like a little country, and included the lands around the city. These cities were known as *city-states*. Two of the largest Sumerian city-states were called *Ur* and *Eridu*.

The Sumerians worshipped their gods in a temple on top of a pyramid with stepped sides. The stepped pyramid was known as a *ziggurat*. Each city-state had a ziggurat and temple.

## Science and Inventions

The Sumerians were great inventors, and were the first to use the *wheel*. They used it to make *pottery*, and also used the wheel on carts made of wood to make them roll.

Around 2500 BC, the Sumerians learned how to make an *alloy* called *bronze*. They did this by combining the metals *copper* and *tin*. They used the new metal to make strong swords and spears. The time period in which they used bronze is known as the *Bronze Age*.

They were the first people to use writing to record their language. This writing was made up of wedge-shaped symbols. They began using this type of writing before 3000 BC. The writing is called *cuneiform*. The Sumerians used a pointed tool called a *stylus* to write on tablets made of clay.

They were the first people to record the ancient story of a hero who searches for eternal life. The twelve clay tablets that tell the story of the hero, named *Gilgamesh*, were discovered in 1872.

## Sargon and The Akkadians

Until the 24th century BC, the lands of Mesopotamia were broken up into several kingdoms, each ruled by a different king.

The different kingdoms fought hard to keep their lands, and were always at war with one another. Then, around 2335 BC, a ruler named Sargon came to power, and conquered the city-states of Mesopotamia, uniting them for the first time.

Sargon spoke a language known as Akkadian, and built a capital city called Akkad. The empire he founded lasted for about 200 years until invaders from the north named the Gutians arrived and overthrew the Akkadians.

## Babylonia

The ancient kingdom of *Babylonia* was invaded and conquered around 2300 BC by Sargon and the Akkadians. The capital of Babylonia was the city-state of Babylon.

Babylonia was ruled by the king Hammurabi during the18th century BC. He expanded the borders of the *Babylonian Empire* through the valleys of the *Tigris* and *Euphrates* rivers.

He was the first ruler to create written laws that told *Babylonians* what they could and could not do in their everyday lives. The punishment for breaking one of Hammurabi's laws was very harsh. Even minor crimes were punishable by death. These laws were known as the *Code of Hammurabi*.

The centuries after Hammurabi's reign were marked by invasions by the Hittites, the Kassites, and the Assyrians.