Geography
Mesopotamia was in the fertile crescent which today consists of the countries Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Cyprus, Jordan, Palestine, Kuwait, Sinai, and Northern Mesopotamia. The climate was different in the north from the south. In the north there was seasonal rain and mild temperatures. In the south there was little rain but the occasional storm did occur. Sometimes the temperatures could rise above 40 degrees C. The land of Mesopotamia could be harsh but it was still a great place to live.
Time Period
Mesopotamia first emerged as a civilization 5000 years B.C. They began to settle and farming. They didn't change for a while until 4000 B.C. when the first evidence of religion was introduced. In 3500 B.C. they began to grow out and become larger. 3300 B.C. was when writing was invented and in 3200 B.C. they invented the wheel. In 2400 their language became more advanced and Gilgamesh 2200 followed the first Akkadian empire in 2330. The Akkadians ruled with no super important changes until the empire crumbled in 2100. The Sumerians ruled once again for a short amount of time before the Assyrians and Babylonians took over. Eventually the Babylons ruled almost all of Mesopotamia. then at the peak of Mesopotamian at 1115 the civilization the Assyrians conquer all of Mesopotamia with their chariots and iron weapons. Under the rule of multiple kings Assyrians ruled until their last king died and they crumbles in 660 B.C. after the reign of the Persians under Cyrus the Great, Alexander the Great conquers almost the whole world including the Persian empire. Mesopotamia has a long and complicated history which is a part of which makes it so great.
Government
The Mesopotamian government was organized and used the code of Hammurabi that had severe punishments for violations. Some examples are if a son should strike his father he loses his hand. If a man of a lower rank strikes a man of higher rank he should receive 60 blows with a whip. When it came to a division of social classes they were relatively equal with slaves only coming from battles with enemies and women having almost the same rights as the men did. They were ruled by a king but a voted in assembly had even more power then the king did. Their military got more advanced as they progressed but it was probably the greatest with the Assyrians who were fearsome warriors, using chariots and iron weapons. They had a sophisticated government which would help the human race move forward as a whole.
The Code of Hammurabi
Economy
Mesopotamia's currency has changed as it aged, originally using sacks of grain, then later changing to silver, gold, or copper coins that weighed about as much as 18 grams of barley. Trade in Mesopotamia was important because many merchants used trade to make a living. They also didn't have a lot of natural resources so they relied on trade to get what they needed. Some of their main trade items were timber, wine, precious metals and stones, wool, poultry pottery, sewn clothes and leather. How they traveled depended on where they were going. Merchants would either go by boat, donkey's, or just simply walk. Mesopotamian people used many different types of currency and if you used silver, copper or gold you were at great risk of being scammed whereas trading grain wasn't to big of a deal if you were scammed. Mesopotamia invented the economy so we have them to thank for that.
Mesopotamian coins
Religious Beliefs
Mesopotamia's religion has changed as different people gain power over it. However for the most part it has stayed the same. They exercise making sacrifices and feeding their gods hundreds of vessels of wine, beer, and milk, and also hundreds of loaves of bread burned to the gods in temples called ziggurats. They believed in hundreds of gods representing everything in their everyday lives but the kings of the gods usually represented something more such as heaven. The main god of the Sumerians was Anu who represented heaven. The Babylons his Marduk who defeated an evil god becoming king. The Assyrians had Ashur, the war god as they were good in battle. The Persians were the first to exercise Zoroastrianism, where there was one god named Ahura Mazda who fought evil. The Persians helped him by doing good deeds. When Mesopotamian people die it the funeral depends on how wealthy their family is. If they are poor or regular they are wrapped in reed matting and buried with food and water to feed their spirit. Richer people or royals would be buried in a coffin with food and water, but also many valuable riches to feed their spirit. The people of Mesopotamia had sophisticated religion and believed in life after death although death was inescapable.
A Ziggurat
Technology and Inventions
The Mesopotamian's were brilliant inventors and they invented many things including the wheel which led to many great vehicles like chariots and carriages. Their technological advancement began with the wheel, then came their vehicles. They learned to use natural resources and trade resources to create settlements and tools to build them. They used sailboats to fish and sealed the bottoms with bitumen (a tar-like substance). Without Mesopotamia we would not have the necessary tools to further excel human technology.
A wagon, invented by Mesopotamian people.
Education
Mesopotamian schools were either beside or in temples. The teachers were extremely strict. If you so much as made a mistake or misbehaved you could be whipped. However most kids went to school because hey would be almost guaranteed a good job. Their writing started as simple pictures but soon it developed into more complicated symbols called cuneiform which we cannot read today, and only skilled archaeologists can barely decipher it. Usually it was only boys that went to school but rich families could send girls as well. They would go to school for 25 days each month from sunrise to sunset. Most students were trying to become scribes (writers). A scribe could either get a very good job controlling taxes in the government or become a priest who was pretty much a king. Education has pushed the human race forward and Mesopotamia helped, or did create it.
Art and Architecture
Mesopotamian art wasn't crude, but instead beautiful. The main art that is found are sculptures as paintings do not survive. The sculptured are laws, animals, important people, and gods. From their art we can learn what was important to them and a few animals that lived at their time. Also we can find out what their boats looked like from their paintings. From their architecture we can often find out how it was to live like them and what they did for a living. We can learn a lot about them from their art and architecture.