The short version
The Greeks later called this land Mesopotamia, which means "the land between the rivers". The rivers are the Tigris and the Euphrates, and they still flow through Iraq today.
Four societies take turns in our story:
- Sumer in the south built the first big cities, like Uruk and Ur, and invented writing on clay.
- Akkad joined those cities together into what many historians call the world's first empire.
- Assyria in the north grew into a huge empire with grand palaces and a famous library.
- Babylon in the middle gave us Hammurabi's laws, the blue Ishtar Gate and expert stargazers.
Their ideas are still with us. Every time you read 60 minutes on a clock, you are using a Sumerian invention.
Explore
Timeline
Four societies, about 3,700 years, on one line.
Map
Find ancient cities and the Iraqi towns that stand there today.
Sumer
The first cities, the first writing and the story of Gilgamesh.
Akkad
Sargon, his poet daughter Enheduanna, and the first empire.
Assyria
Winged bulls, mighty kings and a library of 30,000 tablets.
Babylon
Hammurabi's laws, the Ishtar Gate and astronomers who tracked the planets.
Gods & Myths
Gilgamesh, his wild friend Enkidu, and the gods and monsters of Mesopotamia.
Everyday Life
Homes, school, food, games and a trip to the doctor.
Big Ideas
Inventions we still use, with charts to compare.
Write Your Name
See your name the way a scribe would have written it.
Then & Now
The ancient sites in today's Iraq, and the people protecting them.
Final Quiz
Test yourself and earn a certificate with your name in cuneiform.
years ago, a scribe in the city of Uruk pressed marks into wet clay. Some of those tablets survive. We can still read them today.
Early dates are estimates; scholars disagree by up to about 60 years. We put "c." (short for circa, "about") in front of them.