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20 Interesting Facts About Mesopotamia

Originally Published by Shelmith Njeru in March 2023 and Updated by Nellian in May 2024. 

Long before catching up on the latest smartphone was a thing, small civilizations such as Mesopotamia lived a simple lifestyle. Their interventions, however, significantly influenced most of what we use today.  

Mesopotamia, present-day Iraq, is referred to as the cradle of civilization. Its history was impactful in agriculture, science, and literature. It was the first to create a writing system (before 3000 BC), various astrological discoveries, and one of its most important inventions, the wheel (2000 BC).

Some interesting facts to note about the ancient civilization are:

1. The Most Popular Drink In Mesopotamia Was Beer

Beer mug. Photo By -Rita-

Aside from irrigating farmlands, water from the River Euphrates and River Tigres was used to brew beer. Beer was valued for its nutritious benefits and was used as a form of currency between traders.

Despite it being the most popular drink, beer in Mesopotamia was preserved for royalty. The ingredients and methodology were known to few. The process would be supervised by a goddess whose task was to ensure quality standards.  

2. Pisces, Virgo, Leo, And The Other Zodiac Signs Were Invented During The  Mesopotamian Civilization

As Mesopotamia advanced in its civilization, astronomic studies continued to diversify. The Sumerians were the first to explore the zodiacal constellations which became a key achievement of Mesopotamian astronomy.

Sources date the discovery of the constellations as 2000 BC. They, however, were properly studied in the 7^th century BC. The 12 zodiac signs were spread across the 12 calendar months and were a representation of unique characteristics.

3. They Believed Their Rulers Were Sent By The Gods

When it came to the political rule of Mesopotamia, dynasties always seemed to be at warfare on who would be sovereign. The cities were first ruled by Sumerians until 2331 BC. The Akkadian Empire took over but was conquered by the Babylonians.

Despite this, the dynasties had a common belief that their rulers descended from the gods. Kings and Queens were referred to as shepherds, great kings, or kings of the universe.  

4. The Emoticons Were Invented And First Used By Mesopotamians

Cuneiform early pictographic signs. Photo By Mason, William Albert, –

Emoticons, commonly known as emojis, have become a staple across all social media apps. However, these icons weren’t invented recently. They are much older than Antonio Meucci’s first basic telephone (insert laughing emoji).

Cuneiform, the first written language of human civilization, was made up of a pictographic representation of animals, symbols, and human stick figures just like the emoji icons. The writing system advanced into illustrations and hieroglyphs.

The Sumerians were the inventors of the writing system. It was the main method of record keeping from the 4^th millennium BC and 1 AD. It was later adopted by the Akkadian and eight other territories.

5. It Took Over Ten Years To Properly Learn How To Write The Mesopotamian Language

In Mesopotamia, men and women were expected to learn how to write and read the Sumerian Language. They were also required to have extensive knowledge of the syllabi.

As discussed earlier, the writing system in ancient Mesopotamia was majorly pictorial. Cuneiform wasn’t just any form of logo-syllabic script. It was complex and detailed thus properly representing the icons required at least 12 years of practice.

6. Before Greek Mathematics, Mesopotamia Had The Most Advanced Problem-Solving Formulas

When it comes to numbers and ancient problem-solving, the Babylonians were gurus. They had theories and formulas for measuring angles, finding areas of surfaces, and the volume of cylinders.

In 1800BC, they formulated a mathematical table that would later be known as Plimpton 322. This tablet was made of clay and written in cuneiform. It had 15 rows and 4 columns.

Two of Plimpton 322’s most known characters were the Pythagorean triples (a, b, and c). In 500 BC, the triples were used by the Greek mathematician Pythagoras to create the Pythagoras theorem, a²+b²=c².

The formula has been used to solve mathematical problems for over 4,000 years and still impresses mathematics and professors today.

Learn 10 facts about Pythagoras here. 

7. Mesopotamia Forms Part of Asia’s Fertile Crescent

Fertile Cresent, Photo By Nafsadh –

The fertile crescent of Asia is the land between the River Euphrates and the River Tigres. It was also described as the origin of civilization. The Sumer, Akkad, Babylonia, and Assyria territories were its main occupants.

8. They Had A Unique Way Of Telling Time

Chart of the numbering system used in ancient Mesopotamia using cuneiform. Photo By TYalaA –

In 4000 BC, the Sumerians created a system of numbers known as sexagenary or base 60. It was written in cuneiform symbolically representing numbers 1-59.  

Base 60 was used in measuring and describing the 60-minute hour and 24-hour day. Because 60 had multiple factors (1,2,3,4,5,20,30,12 etc) it became easier to evenly divide time into sections. One hour could be equally segregated into 2 sections of 30 minutes or 30 sections of 2 minutes each.

Sexagenary was later adopted by the Babylonians. It has been modified over time and was applied in the Chinese calendar, Greek Almagest, and European astronomy.

9. The Remains Of The Oldest Known Map Were Found In Mesopotamia

A close-up view of the Babylonian map of the World. Photo By Osama Shukir Muhammed Amin FRCP(Glasg) –

Imago Mundi, also known as the Babylonian Map of The World, is the world’s oldest form of cartography. It was discovered near a Babylonian settlement, east of the River Euphrates.

The map, drawn on a clay tablet, has two descriptive cuneiform writings and a geographical representation of Mesopotamia. It is said to have been designed between the 8^th and the 7^th century BC. Babylon, Assyria, and Elam territories also formed part of the map.

The Babylonian Map of the World is preserved at the Trustees of the British Museum, London.

10. The Mesopotamian Civilization Formed The Basis Of Astronomy

Astrology in ancient Mesopotamia was an important part of the civilization. It was used by the Babylonians to forecast the solstices, eclipses, calendar months, and religious occurrences. They also believe it was tied to significant omens.

From 700 BC to 600 BC, Babylonian scholars opted to explore astronomy from an alternative perspective. They combined the planet system and internal logic to illustrate aspects of the universe. 

The astrological studies of Babylonians were adopted by multiple territories including Western Europe, Greece, and medieval Islam.

11. The Mesopotamian Calendar Was Adopted By The Hebrews

Jewish calendar, showing Adar II between 1927 and 1948. Photo Source

The Babylonian calendar was structured by observing the moon as it went through its phases. The first month of the calendar begins in spring, that is the month of April in the Gregorian calendar.

In 500 BC, the name of the months was adopted by the Jews and used in their calendar.

Interesting fact: In the 17^th year of the Babylonian calendar, an extra month was added to harmonize the year that followed with the lunisolar phase.

12. Literary Works From Mesopotamia Are Still Being Studied By Scholars

Mesopotamia had an enormous influence on science and literature. From solving mathematical problems to discovering astrological phenomena and creating a writing system. No wonder they had several libraries across the town.

Some of the Mesopotamian literature pieces still spark interest today. The Epic of Gilgamesh is one of the existing pieces discovered in a library ruin, in Upper Mesopotamia. The collection of historic poems has been studied by scholars and philosophers and has inspired other modern art and literature.

13. Some Biblical Narratives Are Believed To Have Been Influenced By Mesopotamian Myths

Map of the cities of Mesopotamia (Sennaar), erected by Ninus and Nimrod according to the Bible, and location of the Tower of Babel. Photo By
Athanasius Kircher –

It is no surprise that Mesopotamian literature contributed to some narratives in the bible. The first chapters of the Old Testament also mention it as the ancestral land of Abraham, Cain, and Abel.

In addition, some of the Mesopotamian mythology and biblical stories have common composition styles. The myth of Adapa and the fall of man have similar concepts just like the flood story in the Atrahasis epic and tale of Noah’s ark.

See 10 unbelievable facts about Abraham by clicking on the link.

14. Mesopotamia Was The Origin Of Multiple Disciplinaries

Mesopotamia was not only man’s first golden age but also the homeland of the first messiahs and long-distance champions. The moral code, legal precedent, literary debates, proverbs, and sayings were also first formed and enacted here.

Other first included the invention of the first aquarium, literary portrait, biblical parallels, and pharmacopeia. An in-depth discussion of the Mesopotamian firsts is found in Samuel Noah’s History Begins at Sumer (1988).

 Interesting fact: The first known author, Enheduanna, hailed from Sumer, Mesopotamia. Her most popular works were Goddess of Fearsome Divine Powers (Inana and Ebih) and The Great Hearted Mistress.

Learn about Icons of the East: 100 Most Influential People of Asia on the Discover Walks website. 

15. It Stretches Over Four Countries

Ancient Mesopotamia covered an extensive geographical area of the Middle East. It was around 240 km wide and 480 km long.  Today, it mainly forms Iraq while other parts of it are spread across four additional countries.

Mesopotamia is part of northern Syria and northern Kuwait. Part of Turkey takes up its northwestern region while the eastern side area is partly occupied by Iran.

16. Mesopotamia is Home to Some of the World’s Earliest-Known Cities

, OGL v1.0OGL v1.0, via Wikimedia Commons

This once-fertile land, when it was known as the Fertile Crescent, is home to historically important cities. Though it is now a desert, its fertility dating thousands of years ago, about 7500 B.C.E., attracted settlements and development.

Some of these historical cities include Uruk, Nippur, Nineveh, Assur, and Babylon. Moreover, there were also territorial states like Eridu, Ur Dynasties, the Akkadian kingdoms, and various regimes of the Assyrian empires.

Read about the oldest cities in the world in this article. 

17. Mesopotamians Developed One of the Earliest Writing Systems

Writing traces its roots in different places in the world. Yet, one of the world’s earliest written scripts is cuneiform. Historical records trace it to ancient Mesopotamia around 3400 to 3100 BCE.

Moreover, Cuneiform was a method of Ancient Mesopotamian writing that was used across the Ancient Near East. People used it to write different languages. Cuneiform means “wedge-shaped”. Thus, a reed stylus was cut to make a wedge-shaped mark, which was used to write on a clay tablet.

Discoveries of letters enclosed in clay envelopes have served as a testament to this era. Besides, literature masterpieces like the Epic of Gilgamesh have been found offering more proof of Cuneiform.

18. Mesopotamia Birthed One of the Earliest and Most Complete Written Legal Codes

, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

The Code of Hammurabi prides itself as one of the earliest yet most complete written legal codes. This Babylonian legal text was composed around 1755 to 1750 BC.

It is a long, organized, and most preserved legal text from the ancient Near East. It was written in the Old Babylonian dialect of Akkadian. It is assumed to be the work of Hammurabi, the sixth king of the First Dynasty of Babylon.

Furthermore, the Code has 282 laws, with punishments grouped according to social status. People’s status was either slaves, free men, or property owners.

The laws cover subjects like economic provisions, consisting of prices, tariffs, trade, and commerce. Family law describes marriage and divorce while criminal law delves into issues like assault and theft.

Additionally, Civil law discusses slavery and debt concerns. Penalties were issued depending on the offender’s social status and the circumstances of the offenses. The principle of “innocent until proven guilty” is linked to this code.

19. Mesopotamians Developed Advanced Irrigation Systems

The people of Mesopotamia developed sophisticated irrigation systems to make use of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. These activities enabled them to practice large-scale agriculture to sustain their cities.

20. Mesopotamia Gave the World One of Literature’s Oldest Pieces

, , via Wikimedia Commons

The Epic of Gilgamesh is an epic poem, one of the world’s oldest literature pieces. This ancient Sumerian and Akkadian poem describes the hero, Gilgamesh. He rules the city of Uruk as king and is considered to be stronger than any other man.

Besides, his subjects complain of his abuse of power. The gods hear the people and create Enkidu, a match of Gilgamesh in strength.

Subsequently, Gilgamesh and Enkidu anger the gods with their deeds leading to the death of Enkidu. Thus Gilgamesh goes on a quest to find immortality.

Mesopotamia has played an important role in the evolution of civilization. The invention of the wheel alone was modified and developed into machinery and automobiles. For a city that began in 10,000 BC, its contributions have surely engraved its mark in history.