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Mesopotamian Artifacts

Welcome to our exploration of Mesopotamian artifacts, where we delve into the rich archaeological discoveries and ancient treasures that offer a glimpse into the material culture and artistic achievements of the people of Mesopotamia. Mesopotamia, has left behind a vast array of artifacts that bear witness to the remarkable craftsmanship and cultural legacy of this ancient civilization.

In this section of our website, we invite you to embark on a journey through the world of Mesopotamian artifacts, where each article unveils a different piece of the archaeological puzzle. From intricate sculptures and stunning jewelry to meticulously inscribed clay tablets and decorated pottery, these artifacts tell stories of ancient beliefs, societal practices, and the technological advancements of Mesopotamian civilization.

The Cyrus Cylinder. Source: Prioryman/CC BY-SA 3.0
13 May, 2024 - 17:55 dhwty

The Cyrus Cylinder and the Ancient Proclamation of Human Rights

More than 2 millennia before the French Revolution introduced the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizens , an ancient Near Eastern monarch issued a charter that is considered to be the...
The Mesopotamian military represented here used weapons of war to achieve great success. Source: WILD HARE/Adobe Stock
3 January, 2024 - 16:57 Aleksa Vučković

Mesopotamian Military Mastery - The Ancient Reinvention of Warfare

Creating a great empire in ancient times was no simple task, and it usually involved a lot of warfare. Ancient Mesopotamia, called by many the cradle of civilization, was also the cradle of organized...
Sulimaniya brick B318, part of the collection holding the signature of the geomagnetic anomaly. Source: MIT License
19 December, 2023 - 13:55 Sahir

Ancient Mesopotamian Bricks Record 3,000-Year-Old Geomagnetic Anomaly

A geomagnetic anomaly that occurred between 3,000 and 2,500 years ago has shed light on ancient Mesopotamia in a way that has never been explored before. Analysis of ancient bricks from Mesopotamia,...
Ernst Stötzner during scanning a cuneiform tablet in order to decipher the text. Source: Maike Glöckner/Uni Halle
3 December, 2023 - 13:56 ancient origins

Ancient Cuneiform Tablets Instantly Deciphered By Revolutionary Methods

New artificial intelligence software is now able to decipher difficult-to-read texts on cuneiform tablets, almost in an instant. Instead of photos, the AI system uses 3D models of the tablets,...
One of the Ram in a Thicket statues. Source: British Museum / CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
12 November, 2023 - 21:54 Aleksa Vučković

Ram in a Thicket: A Mesopotamian Legacy from the Ancient City of Ur

The treasures of ancient cultures are a source of never ending inspiration. It is such a wonder to see the magnificence of the art that was created in the dawn of civilization, so long before our...
Mesopotamian clay balls have been unearthed in Iran. Source: Fair use
7 November, 2023 - 14:00 Joanna Gillan

Mesopotamian Clay Balls: Ancient Relics or Prehistoric Hard Drives?

Research conducted in late 2013 offered intriguing clues to decoding the secrets of the Mesopotamian clay balls, which date back 5,500 years. The study, which used CT scanning to look inside the clay...
The Great Flood. Source: Faith Stock/Adobe Stock
17 October, 2023 - 15:04 Joanna Gillan

How Sumerian Tablets Told the Story of The Great Flood

The world's first known flood myth can be traced back to the Sumerians around 2000 BC. Sumerian tablets recount captivating tales of human beginnings, the creation of mankind, and the profound...
The Taylor Prism was discovered in 1830 at Nineveh and is currently housed at the British Museum in London. It tells the story of King Sennacherib’s third campaign and his conquests in Judah. Source: Public domain
4 September, 2023 - 14:53 Aleksa Vučković

Sennacherib's Prisms Reveal the Glorious Reign of an Assyrian King

Imagine if all of the world’s ancient cultures and civilizations had had well-developed writing systems. Then envision the marvels we would know about today, the hidden secrets and remarkable tales...
Aerial view of the structure at Tel Shimron supporting the passageway to the corbelled vault. Credit: Eyecon. Source: Eyecon
23 August, 2023 - 22:55 Nathan Falde

Israel's Tel Shimron Excavations Reveal Ancient Architectural Marvel Dating to 1,800 BC

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...
Ancient Mesopotamia Amulet
15 November, 2013 - 01:01 johnblack

Ancient Mesopotamian Amulet found in Oman

An ancient amulet inscribed with cuneiform writing and dating back to the Mesopotamian civilization has been found during excavations in Dibbia, Musandam in Oman. It has been reported in the times of...
Ubaid Lizardmen Source: CC by SA 4.0
26 February, 2022 - 21:59 johnblack

Ancient Reptilians: The Unanswered Mystery of the 7,000-Year-Old Ubaid Lizardmen

It is a commonly accepted view in mainstream archaeology that civilization started in ancient Mesopotamia with the great civilization of Sumer in what is now modern-day Iraq. However, at the...
The drum has been used since ancient times for rituals and communication. Source: zolotareva_elina / Adobe Stock.
5 October, 2019 - 14:03 B. B. Wagner

Primeval Communication and the Beat of the Drum

Human beings need complex communication, no matter if it's through speech or music . The invention of drums has become an essential factor in all musical forms of artistic expression. It is through...
An example of the Proto-Sinaitic script.
10 April, 2017 - 02:00 dhwty

The A to Z of Alphabet Origins and the Most Ancient Written Languages

Writing is traditionally regarded as one of the requirements for a society to be considered as a civilization. Various writing systems have been invented by the great civilizations of the world, one...
Sumerian civilization artifact.
20 May, 2019 - 14:06 dhwty

Sumer: Where Written Language, Arithmetic and Civilization Were Born

The Sumerian civilization (known also as Sumer) was one of the earliest civilizations in the world. This ancient civilization emerged in the region of southern Mesopotamia (modern day southern Iraq...
60 of the almost 100 cuneiform clay tablets were found at the archaeological site of Bassetki in the Kurdistan region of northern Iraq.
25 October, 2017 - 13:58 Alicia McDermott

Almost 100 Cuneiform Clay Tablets Unearthed and Archaeologists Cannot Wait to Decipher Them

The discovery of ancient writing is always exciting for researchers. Documented events, letters, lists, literature – it is all helpful in reconstructing the story of our predecessors. Thus, the...
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...
The Epic of Gilgamesh. Source: Luca Oleastri / Adobe.
19 May, 2019 - 14:09 Gordon Board

The Epic of Gilgamesh Unveiled: Searching For a Way to the Home Planet

The Epic of Gilgamesh is regarded as one of mankind’s greatest literary and historical works. Many authors have studied the text in an effort to explain the nature of Gilgamesh’s tyranny and his...
Sumerian tablets, Sumerian script is known as cuneiform. Source: Pixabay/ CC0
9 May, 2019 - 22:56 dhwty

Sumerian Tablets: A Deeper Understanding of the Oldest Known Written Language

Ancient languages are captivating despite the fact that studying them or learning about them is a long, complex process. Of course, many students just get briefly acquainted with this subject and...
Sumerian chaos monster and sun god
9 May, 2017 - 01:58 ancient-origins

Forget Death and Seek Life! Fascinating Insights into The Human Condition in 4,000-Year-Old Epic of Gilgamesh

“Forget death and seek life!” With these encouraging words, Gilgamesh, the star of the eponymous 4000-year-old epic poem, coins the world’s first heroic catchphrase. At the same time, the young king...
Iraqi Transport Minister Announces that Sumerians Launched Spaceships 7,000 Years Ago
4 October, 2016 - 17:56 aprilholloway

Iraqi Transport Minister Announces that Sumerians Launched Spaceships 7,000 Years Ago

The Minister for Transport in Iraq made a controversial speech at the inauguration of a new airport in southern Dhi Qar, in which he stated that ancient Sumerians built the first airports 7,000 years...
Weld-Blundell Prism, a clay cuneiform inscribed with the Sumerian Kings List. Source: Public domain
30 July, 2022 - 02:00 Joanna Gillan

The Sumerian King List Reveals the Origin of Mesopotamian Kingship

Out of the many incredible artifacts that have been recovered from sites in Iraq where flourishing Sumerian cities once stood, few have been more intriguing than the Sumerian King List. An ancient...
Work using the Statue of Gilgamesh and Lamassu. Source: CC BY 4.0
19 May, 2019 - 22:58 Gordon Board

The Epic of Gilgamesh Unveiled: Enlightenment and Source of Religions

This retelling of key parts of the Epic explores the unconventional idea that Gilgamesh was not searching for life eternal on Earth, as has been suggested as the theme of the Epic, but was instead...
Sip Like a Sumerian: Ancient Beer Recipe Recreated from Millennia-Old Cuneiform Tablets
11 July, 2017 - 01:52 aprilholloway

Sip Like a Sumerian: Ancient Beer Recipe Recreated from Millennia-Old Cuneiform Tablets

Nowadays, people drink beer for its good taste and feel-good effects. However, thousands of years ago, beer played a much more central role in society. The Sumerian word for beer appears in many...
Leaving an Impression: Revealing the Intricate Story of Sumerian Cylinder Seals
9 March, 2017 - 18:57 dhwty

Leaving an Impression: Revealing the Intricate Story of Sumerian Cylinder Seals

A cylinder seal is a small cylindrical object with images, words, or both, engraved onto it. Sumerian cylinder seals would be rolled over wet clay to make an impression. When the clay dried, a seal...

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