The brick lions that once guarded Babylon's streets hold a unique vitality. These imposing creatures, sculpted from individual bricks, bear a profound significance. In contrast to our contemporary...
In the domain of ancient Mesopotamian art, the reliefs from Ashurnasirpal II's palace reign supreme. These monumental creations , though dispersed far and wide by Henry Austen Layard, possess a...
The recent film Sound of Freedom is a fictionalized account of the true story of Tim Ballard, a former US Department of Homeland Security agent who founded the nonprofit organization Operation...
Akkadian cylinder seals emerged during the fourth millennium BC, coinciding with the dawn of writing. These unique artifacts served dual purposes: safeguarding against unauthorized access to storage...
One of the more mysterious symbols that has been found in carvings from the ancient world is an image that looks uncannily like a modern-day handbag. The shape appears in depictions made by the...
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...
The once-fertile region of Mesopotamia, cited by many as the cradle of civilization, is a true treasure trove of ancient relics and archaeological wonders. A land where numerous prominent city states...
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...
Archaeologists participating in the ongoing Tel Shimron excavations in the Jezreel Valley of northern Israel recently unearthed the first section of an arched, vaulted passageway with steps that they...
In the history of Ancient Mesopotamia, that renowned cradle of human civilization, there were many great kingdoms, city-states, and even empires. One of these was the famed Akkadian Empire, centered...
Sumer is regarded by many scholars as the cradle of human civilization. Its history - although veiled in enigma - is so intriguing and offers a wealth of new discoveries. From the first writing...
Naram-Sin, the conqueror king of the Akkadian Empire, looms large in the ancient annals of Mesopotamia. His reign in the 23rd century BC marked a period of military conquests and cultural...
What happens when a popular Youtuber takes on the British Museum curator at one of history’s oldest board games? That’s just what happened when Tom Scott challenged Irving Finkel to a Royal Game of...
The Akkadian Empire, one of the first great empires in human history, thrived in ancient Mesopotamia under the rule of Sargon of Akkad. However, its reign eventually came to an end. For decades,...
One might find it curious that we divide the hours into 60 minutes and the days into 24 hours – why not a multiple of 10 or 12? Put quite simply, the answer is because the inventors of time did not...
The Mesopotamian marshes in Iraq, once a thriving ecosystem and the heart of an ancient Marsh Arab civilization, are facing a dire threat as they wither away. Parched by a prolonged drought, the...
During recent excavations in the ancient Assyrian city of Nimrud in Iraq, a team of archaeologists from the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology uncovered an exciting...
“At that time, the gods Anu and Enlil, for the enhancement of the well-being of the people, named me by my name: Hammurabi, the pious prince, who venerates the gods, to make justice prevail in the...
From Cleopatra to Razia Sultan, history is filled with powerful women who defied the norms of their time. But have you ever heard of Queen Kubaba? Reigning over Sumer around 2,500 BC, she might just...
One of the most fascinating and accomplished civilizations in history was the fruitful region of Mesopotamia. Frequently called the “Cradle of Civilization,” Mesopotamia was home to some of the...
The ancient realm of Mesopotamia is still very much clouded in enigma. It existed so far back in time, that our knowledge about its cities and civilizations will never be 100% clear. Still,...
In the annals of ancient Mesopotamian history, one name stands out as a towering figure: Sargon of Akkad , the founder of the Akkadian Empire . Sargon's rise to power was nothing short of remarkable...
Some of humanity's most ancient civilizations originated on the current continent of Asia. At the dawn of civilization, places like Mesopotamia , Harappa, China, and others saw various advance...
A Sumerian ziggurat was a towering, stepped structures built in ancient Mesopotamia over 4,000 years ago. They were constructed by the Sumerians , who were one of the earliest civilizations in human...