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Mesopotamian Figures

Welcome to our captivating exploration of Mesopotamian figures, where we shine a light on the remarkable individuals who left an indelible mark on the ancient civilization of Mesopotamia. Mesopotamia, often referred to as the "Cradle of Civilization," was home to a rich tapestry of cultures, city-states, and empires that flourished between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.

In this section of our website, we invite you to delve into the lives and legacies of the influential figures who shaped the course of Mesopotamian history. From legendary rulers and wise scribes to accomplished priests and revered goddesses, these individuals embody the spirit and diversity of this ancient land.

Fall of the Titans". Oil on canvas by Jacob Jordaens, (1638) (Public Domain)
16 February, 2022 - 16:00 Willem McLoud

Were All The Nephilim Giants Or Men Of Renown?

It is often assumed that the biblical ‘Nephilim’ were all Giants. The Nephilim, however, entail much more and can be traced back to a much richer tradition found in ancient Mesopotamia about the...
The so-called Sivatherium of Kish (Field Museum of Natural History/Edwin H. Colbert) compared to a modern representation of a Sivatherium in the Warsaw Museum of Evolution. (Shalom/CC BY-SA 3.0)
6 February, 2022 - 14:00 Aleksa Vučković

The Sivatherium of Kish: Did Sumerians Tame a Prehistoric Giraffe?

The world is big. Even in this modern day and age, we still don’t have a clue about what lurks in the remote corners of this planet. The oceans, vast and enigmatic, have only been partially explored...
The Turin Papyrus composite and colored from plates 2-5 o the 1904 book "Aegyptische Chronologie" by Eduard Meyer (PLstrom / CC BY-SA 3.0)
18 October, 2021 - 21:35 Willem McLoud

New Ancient Middle Eastern Chronology Unlocks Hidden History Of Egypt and Mesopotamia

In the academic study of the ancient world, chronology or timeline is of the utmost importance. This is especially true for the ancient Middle East. When events in Egypt are to be correlated with...
Cuneiform tablet from Van fortress, Turkey Source: Konstantin / Adobe Stock
21 September, 2021 - 14:49 ashley cowie

AI Model Is Solving 4,500-Year-Old Cuneiform Translation Mysteries

Archaeologists just got infinitely smarter. AI is now successfully predicting lost passages of ancient texts, meaning 4,500-year-old cuneiform tablets, with missing sections, can now read. A deep-...
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...
Ordered universe and cuneiform (Public Domain) and Akkadian cylinder featuring Anunnaki.
21 May, 2021 - 01:52 Jason Jarrell

Anunnaki Revealed: Who Were These Beings of Ancient Astronaut Theory? – Part I

The modern era has witnessed an incredible surge in the popularity of all forms of media concerning the mythology of the ancient Mesopotamians. Fueling this ever-growing trend are the writings of a...
Mesopotamian relief of Assyrian warriors. Credit: kmiragaya / Adobe Stock
14 January, 2021 - 23:08 Sarah P Young

Ancient Mesopotamia and the Rise of Civilization

In ancient times, Mesopotamia, meaning ‘land between two rivers’, was a vast region that lay between the Tigris and Euphrates river systems, and it is where civilization emerged over 7,000 years ago...
The Faravahar: The Ancient Zoroastrian Symbol of Iran
11 January, 2021 - 13:55 dhwty

The Faravahar: The Ancient Zoroastrian Symbol of Iran

The Faravahar is arguably the best-known symbol of the Persian Zoroastrian faith. This symbol consists of a winged disc with a man emerging from it. The man is shown holding a ring. Whilst the symbol...
A Frenchman Solves Linear Elamite Puzzle And Rewrites Writing History
15 December, 2020 - 21:59 ashley cowie

A Frenchman Solves Linear Elamite Puzzle And Rewrites Writing History

Every once in a while a scientist goes rogue, and it’s happened to a French archaeologist in Tehran who claims the Iranian plateau was the shared birthplace of writing with Mesopotamia, based on his...
Sebaste’s archaeology ancient ruins Source: Pavel Bernshtam / Adobe Stock
11 September, 2020 - 01:50 Ed Whelan

Ancient Samaria, a City Destroyed and Ten Tribes Lost Forever

Once known as the Land of Canaan, the region was home to great cultures and civilizations for thousands of years. As a result, there are many historic ruins and one of the most fascinating is the...
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...
Aerial image of the Kingdom of Judah excavation, a 2,700-year-old administrative complex in Jerusalem. Source: Yaniv Berman / Israel Antiquities Authority
23 July, 2020 - 14:00 Ed Whelan

Center of Ancient Kingdom of Judah Found in Jerusalem

In Jerusalem, archaeologists have made an important discovery that is providing new insights into the biblical Kingdom of Judah . They have found what they believe is an administrative center...
The Gebel el-Arak Knife (Rama/CC BY SA 3.0) and detail of one side of the ivory handle. (Rama/CC BY SA 3.0)
12 July, 2020 - 14:04 Aleksa Vučković

Gebel El-Arak Knife – A Link to Ancient Egypt’s Distant Beginnings

The ancient, far reaching civilizations of the world are for many people a continuous source of inspiration. Ancient, ageless myths and wonders of emerging societies and archaic technologies are not...
The Fall of Babylon
12 June, 2020 - 22:15 dhwty

The Monumental Fall of Babylon: What Really Shattered the Empire?

The fall of Babylon is a historical event that occurred in 539 BC. This event saw the conquest of Babylon by the Achaemenid Empire under Cyrus the Great and marked the end of the Neo-Babylonian...
Image of Mesopotamia - Jeff Brown Graphics
8 May, 2020 - 18:45 Bryan Hill

The Rise and Fall of Sumer and Akkad

The Sumerians were the first known people to settle in Mesopotamia over 7,000 years ago. Located in the southernmost part of Mesopotamia between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers (modern day Iraq),...
Ritual site - cultic platform found under the war god’s temple. Source: British Museum.
30 March, 2020 - 22:56 Ed Whelan

Ritual Site Dedicated to Mesopotamian War God Discovered in Iraq

Archaeologists working in Iraq have made an intriguing discovery. They have found a sacred area that was dedicated to a Mesopotamian war god. The site is up to 5,000 years-old and is in one of the...
Left: Archaeologists at the Canaanite temple excavation site in Lachish, Israel. Source: The Fourth Expedition To Lachish / Southern Adventist University. Right: (top) Two tiny figurines depicting 'smiting gods' (could be Baal and Resheph) that were found by the altar of the temple and (bottom) weapons and jewelry found at the site. Source: Tal Rogovski / Hebrew University of Jerusalem
26 February, 2020 - 18:49 ashley cowie

Artifact Packed 3,000-Year-Old Canaanite Temple Unearthed In Israel

A rare 3,000-year-old Canaanite temple full of ancient religious artifacts has been unearthed in southern Israel. Built around the time of the ancient Israelite invasion described in the Bible , the...
Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden by Wenzel Peter, Vatican Museum
17 February, 2020 - 23:08 christianobrien

What Happened in Eden? Alternative Translation Tells a Very Different Story

All modern concepts of the Garden of Eden stem from a few verses in the biblical Book of Genesis, none of which is entirely free from ambiguity. The ancient Hebraic documents, from which the early...
Left: Front angle of the reconstructed Bull Headed Lyre found in the Sumerian Royal Tombs of Ur in Mesopotamia, c. 2500 BC. Source: Penn Museum
13 January, 2020 - 23:00 Niels Bjerre Jo...

Satire in Mesopotamia: Unravelling the Bull Headed Lyre of Ur

Many of us tend to think that the people of early cultures were less sophisticated than us. The wealthiest people may have lived lives of luxury with gold and slaves, but admittedly we cannot really...
Sandstorms contributed to the Akkadian Empire fall. Source: mdesigner125 / Adobe Stock
25 October, 2019 - 01:47 ancient-origins

A Dusty Demise for the Akkadian Empire (New Study)

The Akkadian Empire was the first empire in Mesopotamia and arguably the first true empire that existed, being around during the third millennium BC. As has been a recurring empirical theme ever...
The world’s oldest pearl has been discovered at Marawah Island, United Arab Emirates. Source: Arundhati Chaudhuri / CC BY-SA 2.0.
21 October, 2019 - 18:47 ashley cowie

World’s Oldest Pearl Found in Abu Dhabi is 8,000-Years-Old!

Archaeologists in Abu Dhabi have found an 8,000-year-old pearl - the world’s most ancient specimen. According to Emirati archaeologists the exquisite natural pearl is proof that valuable objects have...
“The Victory of Joshua over the Amorites”
26 July, 2019 - 22:01 Bryan Hill

The Fierce Amorites and the First King of the Babylonian Empire

The Amorites, also called Amurru or Martu, were an ancient Semitic-speaking people who dominated the history of Mesopotamia, Syria, and Palestine from about 2000 to 1600 BC. Tribal nomads who forced...
Closeup of glyphs on a Mayan calendar. Credit: zimmytws / Adobe Stock
21 July, 2019 - 15:03 Alicia McDermott

Artificial Intelligence Inching Closer to Deciphering Long Lost Languages

With new technology available to us, we’re inching closer to the end of the days when deciphering ancient languages is a painstaking task filled with frustration and confusion. Nifty machines...
Representational image of high priestess and poet Enheduanna.
25 June, 2019 - 17:35 Kerry Sullivan

Enheduanna: High Priestess of the Moon and the First Known Author

The ancient Sumerian poet Enheduanna has a unique claim to fame: she was the first author in the world known by name. While there were previous instances of poems and stories written down, Enheduanna...

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