History of Ancient Mesopotamia

Mesopotamia’s Geography and Meaning

Mesopotamia means “between the rivers,” referring primarily to the land between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. The name was first used in the 4th century BC and likely translated an earlier Aramaic expression. In its narrower sense, Mesopotamia corresponds mainly to modern Iraq; in its broader historical sense, it includes parts of present-day Iran, Syria, and Turkey, as well as nearby regions west of the Euphrates and in the Zagros Mountains. The region is commonly divided into Upper or Northern Mesopotamia, extending from the rivers’ sources to Baghdad, and Lower or Southern Mesopotamia, extending from Baghdad to the Persian Gulf. Its fertile river valleys supported agriculture, irrigation, permanent settlements, and eventually some of the world’s earliest cities and states. Because of this early development of complex societies, Mesopotamia is often described as a “cradle of civilization.”

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Chronology and Periodization

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