10 Incredible Contributions of Mesopotamia to the World

Some Mesopotamia contributions Most important are cuneiform writing, the wheel, a primitive outbreak of equal rights and, perhaps the best known, the development of agriculture and livestock.

Mesopotamia (a term of Greek origin meaning"between two rivers") was a region located in the Mediterranean, specifically in the West Asia zone, between the Euphrates and Tigris rivers.

The contributions of mesopotamia go beyond culture

This region was bordered to the northeast by the Zagros Mountains and to the southeast by the Arabian Plain, and currently corresponds to the territories of Iraq, Iran, Syria and Turkey.

Unlike most unified civilizations ( Egyptian And Greek), Mesopotamia was a collection of various cultures united by writing and by its attitude towards women and their gods.

That is why, in speaking of Mesopotamia, instead of saying that it is"the Mesopotamian civilization", one should speak of a multicultural region or a region with several civilizations.

In fact, Mesopotamia is known as the cradle of civilization, due to two major contributions that emerged in the region of Sumer (Lower Mesopotamia) in 4000 BC: the birth of the city and the invention of writing.

Top 10 contributions of Mesopotamia to humanity

1- The city

Politics of Mesopotamia

The development of the cities began in the Copper Age (5900 BCE - 3200 BCE). This growth was remarkable in the region of Sumeria, where the cities of Eridu, Uruk, Ur, Kish, Nuzi, Nippur and Ngirsu were born.

The high level of development and systematization of agriculture (which included irrigation) allowed the growth of large centers and, once the cities were established, they were able to maintain their prosperity through trade.

2- Cuneiform writing

The cuneiform was the first written language and developed in Mesopotamia. This communication system was created by the Sumerians between the years 5000 a. C. and 4000 a. C.

This writing was done in clay; The characters used were a mixture of holes and small wedges, hence the name cuneiform, which means"wedge-shaped."

It is believed that writing was invented because of the trade, which generated the need to communicate at a distance and to keep a record of the commercial transactions that a city made.

Cuneiform writing was so influential that it spread through the civilizations of the time and even after the fall of Sumer was continued using.

3- The wheel

The invention of the wheel is attributed to the Mesopotamians. In 1922, the archaeologist Sir Leonard Wooley discovered the remains of two wagons of four wheels in what previously was the city of Ur; These are the oldest vehicles that have been found so far.

4- Agriculture and livestock

Egypt was one of the most important agricultural civilizations.

The conditions of the lands between the two rivers allowed the peoples, who were formerly nomadic, to settle and live on agriculture (favored by the fertility of the land) and livestock. This is why Mesopotamia was primarily a Agrarian society .

As far as the cattle ranch, in Mesopotamia the domestication of the animals was practiced, which favored its sedentarismo.

5- Equal rights

Between women and men, there was equal rights. Women could own the land, divorce, own their own business and be traders.

6- Irrigation

The irrigation system was invented in Mesopotamia to be able to transfer water from the north to the south, since the latter was an extremely arid region and there were not enough rains that allowed the development of agriculture.

In this sense, the first irrigation systems consisted of trenches or channels that allowed the flow of a water source (a river, for example) to crops.

7- The Hanging Gardens

10 Incredible Contributions of Mesopotamia to the World

Mesopotamia is known for its hanging gardens. These were built by King Nebuchadnezzar II (unknown - 562 BC) for his wife to enjoy. These gardens were about 1300 meters long and about 260 meters high, divided into platforms or"floors".

Some historians have explained that these were full of roads, fountains and beautiful flowers, all built with the purpose of making the queen not suffer nostalgia.

These gardens were built around 600 BC. On the banks of the Euphrates River (south of the modern city Baghdad, in Iraq).

8- Hours of 60 minutes and minutes of 60 seconds

The legacy of Mesopotamia can be observed in the most basic aspects of modern life. For example, the fact that the hours last 60 minutes and that the minutes last 60 seconds is a Mesopotamian legacy. Helen Chapin Metz points out the Sumerians believed that each god was represented by a number.

The number 60 was used to represent the god An and for this was used as the basic unit to calculate the time.

9- The Ziggurats

The ziggurats were huge temples built in Mesopotamia, specifically in Sumeria, in honor of their gods.

These presented different levels that could be accessed through a ladder. At the top of the building, the Sumerian priests left offerings (food and precious objects) for their gods.

10- Other contributions of the Mesopotamians

Other contributions of the Mesopotamians were astronomy, mathematics, windmill and Hammburabi code (which was created by the King of Babylon and constitutes the first written law).

Likewise, certain Mesopotamian narratives, such as Adapa's myth and poetic songs about Gilgamesh, were the basis of the Hebrew scriptures and the Christian Old Testament.

In short, Mesopotamian inventions not only improved certain aspects of ancient civilizations (such as communication and agriculture) but also laid the groundwork for the creation of future inventions

References

  1. The legacy of Mesopotamia. Retrieved on May 2, 2017, from qasocialstudies.wikispaces.com.
  2. Ancient Mesopotamia. Retrieved on May 2, 2017, from oi.uchicago.edu.
  3. Ancient Mesopotamia. Retrieved on May 2, 2017, from home.d47.org.
  4. The Legacy of the Ancient World, 3000 BC - 1600 BC. Retrieved on May 2, 2017, from mshworldhistory10.wikispaces.com.
  5. Mesopotamia. Retrieved on May 2, 2017, from ancient.eu.
  6. Nebuchadnezzar II. Retrieved on May 2, 2017, from ancient.eu.
  7. Mesopotamia. Retrieved on May 2, 2017, from 6hmesopotamia.weebly.com.


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