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Mesopotamian Cities

Welcome to our captivating exploration of Mesopotamian cities, where we delve into the vibrant urban centers that thrived along the fertile banks of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. Mesopotamia, often hailed as the "Cradle of Civilization," was home to a rich tapestry of cities that formed the foundation of early urban life and played pivotal roles in shaping the development of human civilization.

In this section of our website, we invite you to embark on a journey through the bustling streets and storied history of Mesopotamian cities. From the towering ziggurats to the labyrinthine markets, each city has its unique story to tell, revealing the complexities of governance, culture, and daily life in ancient Mesopotamia.

The Hanging Gardens of the Chaldean Dynasty of Mesopotamia. Source: Sarry/Adobe Stock
15 September, 2023 - 14:55 Aleksa Vučković

The Chaldean Dynasty and the Rise of the Neo-Babylonian Empire

Empires are formed and fall, dynasties rise to prominence and crumble in poverty and ruin, ethnicities disappear from the fate of the Earth - these are the inevitable aspects of the histories of...
Votive stele of Gudea, ruler of Lagash, to the temple of Ningirsu. Ancient Orient Museum, Istanbul. Source: Osama Shukir Muhammed Amin FRCP (Glasg)/CC BY-SA 4.0)
4 September, 2023 - 22:52 Aleksa Vučković

The Rule of Ensi Gudea and the Golden Age of Lagash

Ancient Mesopotamia, called by many the “cradle of civilization”, is in many ways enigmatic and mysterious. There is plenty about it that we are still to uncover, as it reaches so far back in time...
The ruins of Yamchun Fortress near Pamir, on the border of Afghanistan, where one can still see remains of the ancient classical culture of Bactria. Source: Jonny / Adobe Stock
2 October, 2021 - 14:43 Aleksa Vučković

Bactria - The Bountiful, Sought-after Region of Ancient History

Bactria was one of the more important historic regions of the ancient and classical world. A central point of more than one defining political event, Bactria experienced thousands of years of...
Secret underground tunnels of ancient Mesopotamian cult - Ani ruins
27 August, 2014 - 01:00 aprilholloway

Secret underground tunnels of ancient Mesopotamian cult under Ani ruins

For the first time in history, the academic world is paying attention to the spectacular underground world of Ani, a 5,000-year-old Armenian city located on the Turkish-Armenian border. Hurriyet...
Ancient monuments in Hasankeyf
23 February, 2014 - 01:19 aprilholloway

The 12,000-year-old ancient Mesopotamian town of Hasankeyf set to submerged by new dam

Hasankeyf, Turkey, is one of the oldest ancient sites in the world with evidence of human settlement. Dating back 12,000 years, it has been home to virtually every major Mesopotamian civilisation,...
The ancient city of Susa in Iran
11 July, 2015 - 04:09 Robin Whitlock

The ancient city of Susa in Iran is a worldwide treasure

The Biblical city of Shushan, now the modern Iranian city of Shush, has been added to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) World Heritage List along with six...
A view of the Bibi-Khanum Mosque, Samarkand.
15 February, 2016 - 14:53 dhwty

Samarkand: An Ancient Link Between East and West

Samarkand, also spelled as Samarqand, is a city located in modern day Uzbekistan, or the historical Central Asian region of Transoxiana. The city’s location in the Zerafshan River Valley provided it...
Virtual recreation by Charles Chipiez. A panoramic view of the gardens and outside of the Palace of Darius I of Persia in Persepolis.
24 November, 2017 - 23:03 Riley Winters

An Empire in Death: The Extensive Remains of Persepolis

Once the stunning capital of the Persian Empire (also known as the Achaemenid Empire), Persepolis was lost to the world for almost nineteen hundred years, buried in the dirt of southwestern Iran...
Illustration of an ancient city in Mesopotamia.
12 May, 2018 - 18:58 Ed Whelan

Hoard of Ancient Tablets Found in Iraq Reveal Location of Lost Royal City of Mardama

In an exciting discovery, archaeologists have found the location of the lost royal city of Mardama. The ancient Hurrian city had laid buried for millennia until archaeologists unearthed the remains...
Top image: A photo of Assur. Inset: Head most likely of Sargon of Akkad.
28 August, 2018 - 09:41 dhwty

Both Religion and Royalty Reigned in the Assyrian City of Assur

Known today also as Qal’at Sherqat, the ancient Assyrian city of Assur is located in the Saladin Governorate of modern day Iraq, about 280 km (174 miles) north of the capital, Baghdad. This city was...
Lives And Losses Of Laodicea, Crown Of Phrygia
10 December, 2021 - 12:34 micki pistorius

Lives And Losses Of Laodicea, Crown Of Phrygia

In the west central part of ancient Phrygia in Anatolia, Turkey, the ruins of Laodicea crown the hill between the narrow valleys of the Asopus and Caprus rivers, converging into the Lycus river...
Remote sensing and drone footage of the Lagash / Tell al-Hiba site was deployed to conclude that the ancient Mesopotamian city was made up of four marsh islands. Source: Lagash Archaeological Project
15 October, 2022 - 14:53 Sahir

Drone Footage Reveals Lost Mesopotamian City Built on Marsh Islands

Using remote sensing data technologies at the site of one of the oldest urban centers in world history, scientists have identified a vast Mesopotamian settlement called Lagash. Once upon a time,...
Mari, Syria - A ziggurat near the palace.
1 January, 2017 - 14:36 ancient-origins

Nearly Lost from The Pages of History, Mari Is The Oldest Known Planned City in the World

The 7,000-year-old ancient city of Mari (known today as Tell Hariri) is one of the oldest known cities in the world, located on the west bank of the Euphrates River in what was once northern...
3D reconstruction of an ancient Mesopotamian city.
8 April, 2019 - 18:56 ancient-origins

4,000-Year-Old Lost Mesopotamian City Discovered in Iraq

A 4,000-year-old lost city has been discovered in Iraqi Kurdistan, according to researchers. “We weren’t expecting to discover a city here at all,” said Christine Kepinski, who explored the site,...
Illustration of Mesopotamia.
8 November, 2016 - 03:53 Theodoros Karasavvas

Ancient Remains of Important Bronze Age City of the Akkadian Empire Found in Iraq

Α very important city was recently unearthed in Northern Iraq by an international team of archaeologists from the University of Tübingen, a university town in central Baden-Württemberg, Germany. The...
Winged human-headed bull, lamassu or shedu, the Lost City of Dur-Sharrukin.
7 March, 2019 - 14:02 dhwty

The Lost City of Dur-Sharrukin – The Capital That Never Was

Dur-Sharrukin is an ancient Assyrian city that was founded towards the end of the 8 th century BC. The city was established by Sargon II to serve as his new capital. Nevertheless, Sargon died before...
Assyrian soldiers carry beheaded heads of their prisoners as depicted on a wall in the South-West Palace at Nineveh, during the “First” Fall of Neneveh. Source: Osama Shukir Muhammed Amin / CC BY-SA 4.0
10 August, 2020 - 18:34 ashley cowie

August 10 612 BC: Nineveh, the Largest City in the World, Fell

On this day, 2,632 years ago, the ancient metropolis of Nineveh fell. “ ABC 3 ” is a historiographical text from ancient Babylonia which records August 10th 612 BC as the date of this dramatic...
The so-called Abraham house at the Ur archaeological complex in southern Iraq is said to be the birthplace of the prophet Abraham (Ibrahim in Arabic). The "latest" Mesopotamian city discovered near Tell al-Duhaila is less than 20 miles (31 km) from Ur. Source: Aziz1005 / CC BY 4.0
16 July, 2021 - 14:55 ashley cowie

4,000-Year-Old Mesopotamian City Discovered In the Shadow Of Ur

A 4,000-year-old urban settlement has been discovered on the road to Ur in modern Iraq. Researchers suspect the discovery represents a lost Mesopotamian city capital that was founded on the ashes of...
The walls of the ancient Citadel of Erbil in Iraq as seen from the bazaar. Source: Levi Clancy / CC BY-SA 4.0
4 January, 2022 - 14:00 Aleksa Vučković

The Magnificent Citadel of Erbil - A True Archaeological Sandwich

The Iraqi city of Erbil is truly magnificent - and in many ways. With the settlement origins dating back at least 8,000 years, it is one of the world’s oldest continuously inhabited cities in the...
Archaeologist Henry Layard's image of Nineveh.
24 August, 2018 - 13:58 dhwty

Nineveh: Exploring the Ruins of the Crown City of Ancient Assyria

Nineveh was the last capital of the Assyrian Empire, as well as its most populous city. It has even been claimed that Nineveh was the most populated city in the world for a period. In recent times,...
‘Noah’, a 6,500-year-old skeleton
6 August, 2014 - 14:48 aprilholloway

The rediscovery of ‘Noah’, a 6,500-year-old skeleton, who survived a Great Flood

Scientists at the Penn Museum in Philadelphia recently re-discovered a rare and important find in their storage rooms – a complete human skeleton who lived around 6,500 years ago in the Sumerian city...
Royal Palace at Ebla. Source: CC BY-SA 3.0
21 May, 2019 - 19:05 ancient-origins

First Kingdoms: The Forgotten Mesopotamian Kingdom of Ebla

Spectacular things were happening in Mesopotamia in the period we call the Early Bronze Age, particularly in the southern part of it, commonly called Babylonia. It was here that the wealthy,...
Excavations continue at the impressive and expansive ancient city of Lagash. Drone photo of the site of Lagash (Tell Al Hiba) looking north. This spring was a particularly wet one in Iraq, causing the marshes to surround the site on three sides. Source: Lagash Archaeological Project
29 January, 2023 - 17:50 Sahir

4,700-Year-Old Tavern Serves Up Surprises in Ancient Lagash, Iraq

Archaeologists have discovered a large tavern or public eating space dating to around 2700 BC at the ancient city site of Lagash in southern Iraq. Equipped with benches, a clay oven, storage jars...
Great Death pit of Ur
30 June, 2018 - 17:32 dhwty

The Great Death Pit of Ur: Mass Human Sacrifice in Ancient Mesopotamia

During Sir Charles Leonard Woolley’s excavation of Ur from 1922 to 1934, any burial without a tomb chamber was given the name ‘death pit’ (known also as ‘grave pits’). Arguably the most impressive...

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