The Most Important Cultures Of Ancient Mesopotamia
Explorers say that this is where it all began, the cradle of civilizations.
The so-called Ancient Mesopotamia , located in the Middle East today, has seen the birth of many of the most prosperous civilizations in human history. Predecessors of all culture acquired worldwide, with more than six thousand years of history, were especially important Babylon, Assyria and the Sumerians.
The name of Mesopotamia It has a meaning that has been translated into various ancient languages of the time: it means “between two rivers.” Its origin is due to the geographical location of its culture, located between the Euphrates and Tigris rivers, which are part of current Syria and Iraq. Among many of the influences and inheritances that have been assumed to be part of our present day, one fact in particular stands out, that of writing.
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 geographic location, as there may be some discrepancies among expert historians.
Given that the origin of Mesopotamia is credited between 5000 and 6000 BC, it can be intuited that those lands gave rise to the techniques of industry and fishing, agriculture and livestock. Subsequently, these events led to the development of cities in all their sense: 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 culture of Halaf or late Halaf (around 4,000 BC).
The main Mesopotamian cultures
A territory with so much history would not be understandable without the identification of the cultures that formed it. Next We will highlight the most relevant cultures that gave rise to Ancient Mesopotamia
1. The Sumerians
The Sumerians were the first civilization in the region The first city-states such as Uma, Ur, Eridu, and Ea were founded. 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 reigned with absolute power over the masses whom the Sumerians called “vicar”, the protector god of the city.
Furthermore, it was during this period that there is evidence of the first pictograms, 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 different battles between the towns in the area.
2. The Acadians
As has happened throughout human history, success immediately attracted enemies to the area. Different nomadic peoples, especially from the Arabian Peninsula such as the Syrians, Hebrews and Arabs who decided to intensively invade the territories developed by the Sumerians. The absolute dominance of the aforementioned 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 Agadé to replace Kis once the Lugalzagesi empire was defeated. For centuries, the Sargon dynasty had to face various internal revolts in the struggle for power, a fact that overthrew the Akkadian empire around the year 2,200 BC at the hands of the Gutis and Morreos.
3. The Assyrians and Babylonians
After a brief “reconquest” by the Sumerians of the lands usurped by the Akkadians, The Babylonian and Assyrian empires were the most influential cultures of ancient Mesopotamia 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 began for the expansion of territory and cultural hegemony, making the city of Babylon its capital. At this time, the first laws and codes were established to establish an effective administration model since the empire gained more control that needed control.
Surely the Assyrian empire is the most important because of its tremendous military practices to which it subjected the dominated people. They were brutal, relentless, bloodthirsty and incompassionate. They destroyed the preceding culture and imposed their own. Likewise, not everything was fierce battles. The Assyrians incorporated innovative irrigation techniques, river inflows and a cultural legacy that today continues to be classified as one of the most beautiful in the world.
