Mesopotamia was known in ancient times as a seat of learning, and Thales of Miletus
(l. C. 585 BC, known as the "first philosopher") is believed to have studied there.
the civilizations that flourished there is more easily understood by dividing it into
periods:
Neolithic age prior to ceramics Also known as The Stone Age (c. 10,000 BC, although evidence suggests
human habitation much earlier). There is archaeological confirmation of crude settlements and early
signs of inter-tribal warfare, most likely over fertile land for crops and fields for cattle grazing.
Copper Age (5,900 - 3,200 BC) Also known as The Chalcolithic Period due to the transition from stone
tools and weapons to copper ones. This era includes the so-called Ubaid Period (c. 5000-4100 BC, named
after Tell al-`Ubaid, the place in Iraq where the largest number of artifacts were found) during which
the first Mesopotamian temples were built and villages without walls developed out of sporadic
settlements of individual dwellings.
The oldest city is often cited as Uruk, although Eridu and Ur have also been suggested. Van De Mieroop
writes: "Mesopotamia was the most densely urbanized region in the ancient world" (cited in Bertman,
201), and the cities that grew Along the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, as well as those founded further
afield, they established trading systems that resulted in great prosperity.
Early Bronze Age (3,000 - 2119 BC) During this period, bronze supplanted copper as the material from
which tools and weapons were made. The rise of the city-state laid the foundation for economic and
political stability that would eventually lead to the rise of the Akkadian Empire (2334-2218 BC) and the
rapid growth of the cities of Akkad and Mari, two of the urban centers. most prosperous of the time.
Middle Bronze Age (2119-1700 BC) The expansion of the Assyrian Kingdoms (Assur, Nimrud, Sharrukin,
Dur, and Nineveh) and the rise of the Babylonian dynasty (centered on Babylon and Chaldea) created
an atmosphere conducive to trade and, with it, increased warfare. The Guti tribe, fierce nomads who
succeeded in overthrowing the Akkadian Empire, dominated Mesopotamian politics until they were
defeated by the allied forces of the Sumerian kings.
Late Bronze Age (1700-1100 BC) The rise of the Kassite dynasty (a tribe that came from the Zagros
Mountains in the north and is believed to have originated in modern-day Iran) leads to a shift in
power and an expansion of culture and learning after the Kasites conquered. Babylon. The collapse of
the Bronze Age followed the discovery of how to mine and make use of iron, a technology that was
uniquely used by the Kasites and previously the Hittites in warfare. The period also saw the beginning
of the decline of Babylonian culture due to the rise in power of the Kasites until they were defeated by
the Elamites and expelled.
Iron Age (1000 - 500 BC) This era saw the rise and expansion of the Neo-Assyrian Empire under
Tiglath-Pileser III (r. 745-727 BC) and that meteoric rise of the Empire to power and conquest under
the rule of great Assyrian kings such as Sargon II (r. 722-705 BC), Sennacherib (r. 705-681 BC),
Esarhaddon (r. 681-669 BC) and Ashurbanipal (rc 668-627 BC, who conquered Babylon , Syria, Israel
and Egypt). The Empire suffered a decline as rapid as its rise due to repeated attacks on the central
cities by Babylonians, Medes, and Scythians in 612 BC. C. The Hittite and Mitanni tribes consolidated
their respective powers during this time, resulting in the rise of the Neo-Hittite and Neo-Babylonian
empires.
Classical antiquity (500 BC - 7th century AD) After Cyrus II took Babylon, most of Mesopotamia
became part of the Achaemenid Persian Empire, and this period saw rapid cultural change in the
region, including a number of changes, most notably the loss of knowledge of cuneiform writing. . The
conquest of the Persians by Alexander the Great in 331 BC. C. brought Hellenization of culture and
religion, but, although Alexander tried to make Babylon a city of consequences again, his glory days
were now past.
Located in the area of the Middle East located between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, although it
extends to the fertile areas contiguous to the strip between both rivers, and which roughly coincide with
the non-desert areas of present-day Iraq and the border area of the north- eastern Syria.
"Kings of Mesopotamia" Adad-nirari II. Adad-salulu. Adasi. Akiya. Aminum. Ammi-ditana. Ammi-Saduqa.
Apiashal.