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, which is located in the Middle East today, has seen the birth of many of the most prosperous civilizations in human history. Predecessors of all the culture acquired worldwide, with more than six thousand years of history, Babylonia, Assyria and the Sumerians were especially important.

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 situation of its culture, located between the Euphrates and Tigris rivers that are part of present-day Syria and Iraq. Among many of the influences and legacies that have been assumed as part of our present time, one particular fact stands out, that of writing.

Origin and territorial extension of Mesopotamia

Given the age and the transformation that the area has undergone since the first archaeological remains were discovered,

the extent 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 it is an approximate location at a geographical level, as there may be some discrepancies between expert historians.

Since the origin of Mesopotamia is credited between 5000 and 6000 BC. C., it can be intuited that these lands gave rise to the techniques of farming and fishing, agriculture and livestock. Subsequently, these events led to the development of cities with all their meaning: 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 various. First was the Umm Dabaghiyah culture; later it was replaced by the Hassuna-Samarra culture and finally we find the Halaf or late Halaf culture (around 4,000 BC). c.).

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.

In addition, 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 protection measure suggests that there were different battles between the towns in the area.

2. the acadians

As has been the case throughout human history, success quickly attracted enemies from the area. Different nomadic peoples, especially from the Arabian Peninsula such as the Syrians, Jews and Arabs who decided to intensively invade the territories developed by the Sumerians. It dates from 2,500 a. c. the absolute domain of the mentioned civilizations.

The Akkadians were the most important group in Mesopotamia thanks to King Sargon, which founded the capital of Agade to replace Kis once the Lugalzagesi empire had been defeated. Sargon's dynasty had to face different internal revolts for centuries in the struggle for power, a fact that brought down the Akkadian empire around 2,200 BC. c. to hands 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 a unified empire that would be adopted even by the modern monarchs of Western Europe as the dominant political system.

Under Hammurabi's mandate, 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 cement an effective administration model since the empire was endowed with more domain that needed control.

Surely the Assyrian empire is the most important for its tremendous military practices to which they submitted to the dominated people. They were brutal, relentless, bloodthirsty, and unforgiving. They swept away the previous culture and imposed their own. Likewise, not all were fierce battles. The Assyrians incorporated innovative irrigation techniques, river influxes and a cultural legacy that to this day continues to be classified as one of the most beautiful in the world.