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Mesopotamian Society & Culture

Welcome to our exploration of Mesopotamian society and culture, where we delve into the vibrant tapestry of the daily lives, social structures, and cultural achievements that shaped the ancient Mesopotamian civilization. Mesopotamia, often hailed as the "Cradle of Civilization," was a melting pot of diverse cultures, city-states, and empires that flourished between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.

In this section of our website, we invite you to step into the world of Mesopotamian society and culture, where each article unveils a different aspect of the ancient civilization. From social structures and governance to art, literature, and technological advancements, we unravel the complexities and achievements that defined the fabric of Mesopotamian life.

Sumerian priestess. Source: Oleksandr / Adobe Stock.
4 October, 2023 - 18:50 Joanna Gillan

Sumerian King Iddin-Dagan Copulated with a Priestess in a Public Annual Ritual

In the annals of history, we have witnessed a myriad of unique, and at times, bizarre traditions that have defined civilizations and their leaders. One such tradition that stands tall in its peculiar...
Relief representing a two-headed eagle on the sphinx located at the right of the Sphinx Gate, Alaca Höyük, Turkey.
24 January, 2019 - 13:59 Carly Silver

How a Two Headed Bird of Prey Ruled Ancient Mesopotamia and Hatti

Several infamous empires of the early modern period and current modern periods bore curious insignia. The Byzantine, Austrian, and Russian Empires all adopted the symbol of a mythical creature, a...
A cylinder seal impression, ca. 2100 BC, sometimes interpreted as Ur-Nammu (seated) bestowing governorship on Ḫašḫamer, ensi of Iškun-Sin.
15 September, 2021 - 02:00 dhwty

The Code of Ur-Nammu: When Ancient Sumerians Laid Down the Law, Everyone Obeyed

The Code of Ur-Nammu is the oldest surviving law code. This text was written on clay tablets in the Sumerian language and is reckoned to have been produced towards the end of the 3rd millennium BC...
A seedhead of an opium poppy, Papaver somniferum, with white latex. (Public Domain) Cylinder-seal of the "Lady" or "Queen" (Sumerian NIN) Puabi, one of the defuncts of the Royal Cemetery of Ur, c. 2600 BC. Banquet scene, typical of the Early Dynastic Period.
21 April, 2018 - 01:42 Alicia McDermott

New Research Provides First Peek at Ancient Mesopotamian Drug Use

Medical usage? Ritual practice? Or perhaps the drugs served both purposes? Researchers are asking what the recently recovered psychoactive drug residues from ancient Mesopotamia mean. But not...
15th century the basement of a "market house" used as a prison
25 October, 2015 - 13:21 dhwty

Prisons and Imprisonment in the Ancient World: Punishments Used to Maintain Public Order

One of the most well-known forms of punishment today is imprisonment. One could argue that for any society to function properly, public order has to be maintained. This is an important function of...
The Royal Game of Ur.
21 December, 2018 - 14:02 dhwty

The Enigmatic Ancient Royal Game of Ur – Will We Ever Understand It?

The Royal Game of Ur (known also as the Game of Twenty Squares) is a board game from ancient Mesopotamia. This two-player game is one of the oldest known board games and was immensely popular in the...
The National Museum of Iraq. Many of the pieces discovered at the ruins of Ur, arranged and labelled by Ennigaldi-Nanna, can be found here. Source: Jdx / CC BY-SA 4.0.
3 June, 2019 - 01:38 ancient-origins

Hidden Women of History: Ennigaldi-Nanna, Curator of the World’s First Museum

“It belongs in a museum.” With these words, Indiana Jones , the world’s best-known fictional archaeologist , articulated an association between archaeologists, antiquities , and museums that has a...
The tomb with 8 human sacrifices at the entrance and 2 skeletal remains within.
2 July, 2018 - 19:01 ashley cowie

A Matter of Honor? Evidence of Brutal Child Sacrifice Surfaces in Ancient Mesopotamia

The 5,000-year-old bodies of a 12-year-old a boy and girl surrounded by “hundreds of bronze spearheads and eight human sacrifices” were unearthed at Basur Höyük in southeastern Turkey (Mesopotamia,)...
Oneiromancy, dream divination, was very important in ancient Mesopotamia
17 March, 2020 - 18:40 dhwty

Oneiromancy: Dream Predictions in Ancient Mesopotamia

Oneiromancy is a form of divination in which dreams are interpreted in order to predict the future. This form of divination was practiced in many parts of the world, including the ancient...
Darius the Great receiving greetings and gifts from governors and ambassadors. Relief from Persepolis, Iran
22 March, 2015 - 23:51 Mahbod Khanbolouki

Nowruz - The Persian New Year and The Spring Equinox

Nowruz, known as the Persian new year, is one of the most ancient celebrations in history and has been celebrated for around 4000 years in what is now Iran and in the extended cultural area known as...
Cuneiform tablet containing details about infertility. Credit: Istanbul Archaeology Museum
10 November, 2017 - 19:00 aprilholloway

4,000-Year-Old Assyrian Tablet Makes First Known Infertility Diagnosis and Recommends Slave Surrogate

A 4,000-year-old Assyrian tablet discovered in central Kayseri province, Turkey, is an ancient marriage contract with the first known diagnosis of infertility. The clay record says that the wife...
Sorcerer in hood standing in front of an ancient destructed Babylon tower with flood, fire & hurricane illustration
16 February, 2019 - 18:52 Sarah P Young

Mesopotamian Magic: Ancient Tablets Reveal a World of Witches, Sorcerers and Exorcists

Ancient Mesopotamia was a vast region in Western Asia which has become known as the ‘cradle of civilization’ due to the huge number of feats the culture achieved. Agriculture, animal herding, and...
Supernatural beings such as the Kusarikku hybrid bull-men, pictured here in the middle, are featured in ancient Mesopotamian lullabies. They remain kind until disturbed, in this case, disturbed by a baby’s cries. Source: QuartierLatin1968 / CC BY-SA 2.0
13 August, 2020 - 22:57 Riley Winters

Ancient Mesopotamian Lullabies, Sung to Soothe and Warn Babies

Lullabies are not a recent invention. In fact, they stretch back thousands of years, undoubtedly to the time before written history. Many ancient Mesopotamian lullabies, from the cultures of Babylon...
Assyrian relief panel, 883–859 BC. Source: Public Domain / Met Museum
1 January, 2022 - 14:01 Joanna Gillan

Mesopotamian Kings Were Slapped in the Face in the Ancient Akitu Festival

The Akitu festival was one of the oldest Mesopotamian festivals, dating back to the middle of the third millennium BC. It was during this twelve-day ceremonial event, which began at the first New...
‘The Banquet Scene’ relief panel, 645BC-635BC.
27 February, 2017 - 19:23 dhwty

Gazelle Stewed in Broth and Garlic: Would You Try These 3,700-Year-Old Recipes for the Babylonian Elite?

"A cuisine of striking richness, refinement, sophistication and artistry, which is surprising from such an early period,” is how French Assyriologist and gourmet chef Jean Bottero, who decoded three...
Edwin Long’s The Babylonian Marriage Market.
21 July, 2016 - 00:36 dhwty

The Babylonian Marriage Market: An Auction of Women in the Ancient World

In the 5 th century BC, Greek Historian Herodotus wrote about the customs and traditions he witnessed while in Babylon. One of the more controversial customs he reports on is the Babylonian marriage...
Medieval stargazers. People have been fascinated by the stars and their possible influence over our lives, long before and after the time of Babylonian astrology.
24 February, 2019 - 23:15 ashley cowie

Complex Astronomical and Astrological Systems Detailed on Ancient Assyrian Tablets

Archaeologists studying a group of five unique stone tablets dating to the first millennium in Babylonia and Assyria have announced that they reveal a hitherto unknown level of astronomical...
Babylonian relief carving. Credit: Andrea Izzotti / Adobe Stock
18 November, 2019 - 14:01 Ed Whelan

Eat Like a Mesopotamian: Experts Reconstruct 4000-Year-Old Recipes

Mesopotamia is considered to be home to one of the first civilizations and it decisively shaped world history. Now thanks to some of the oldest culinary recipes, inscribed on clay tablets, we now...
Example of a lamb stew with vegetables. (Jo del Corro/CC BY 2.0) “Hen with Herbs”. Laura Kelley recreates Recipe 2 from Yale tablet 8958. (Laura Kelley) Lamb shanks in a stew. (E4024/CC BY SA 4.0) YBC 4644, a tablet with a Babylonian recipe, ca. 1750 BC. (Yale University Library)
12 August, 2018 - 19:02 Mark Oliver

Three Babylonian Recipes From 1600 BC You Can Make At Home Today

Ever wanted a taste of life in an ancient civilization? The oldest cookbook ever found was made sometime around 1600 BC in the ancient city of Babylon. It’s a set of cracked tablets engraved by an...
The Burning of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar’s Army (1630-1660)
9 May, 2018 - 18:44 Mark Oliver

By the Rivers of Babylon: Life in Ancient Babylon’s Thriving Jewish Community

In the 6th-century BC, the armies of Babylon destroyed Jerusalem and the Kingdom of Judah. They tore down the city walls, burned the temples, and ran down every person who tried to escape. The few...
The “Burney Relief,” which is believed to represent either Ishtar, the Mesopotamian goddess of love and war, or her older sister Ereshkigal, Queen of the underworld (c. 19th or 18th century BC).
25 April, 2018 - 01:48 ancient-origins

In Ancient Mesopotamia, Sex among the Gods Shook Heaven and Earth

Sexuality was central to life in ancient Mesopotamia, an area of the Ancient Near East often described as the cradle of western civilisation roughly corresponding to modern-day Iraq, Kuwait, and...
Babylonian clay model showing a nude couple on a couch engaged in sex and kissing. Date: 1800 BC. Source: © The Trustees of the British Museum/ CC BY-NC-SA
18 May, 2023 - 19:00 Gary Manners

Humans Were Kissing in Mesopotamia As Early As 4,500 Years Ago

Humanity's love affair with kissing goes way back, but just how far? Recent research has revealed that the art of smooching was already in full swing a staggering 4,500 years ago in Mesopotamia, and...
Ancient Greek prostitute. ‘Phryne’ by Jose Frappa (Public Domain)
3 December, 2022 - 17:59 Robbie Mitchell

Prostitution, One of History’s Oldest Professions!

Prostitution is often described as the world’s oldest profession. Although this isn’t true – hunters, farmers, and shepherds predate prostitution – the sale of sex traces back to time immemorial. The...
Drugs in Ancient Cultures: A History of Drug Use and Effects
9 June, 2016 - 00:44 Liza Knox

Drugs in Ancient Cultures: A History of Drug Use and Effects

The battle against drugs and drug usage rages on today and for good reason. However, with the near constant limelight that the ‘drug war’ receives today, it can seem like the most common drugs have...

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