Mesopotamia
Explore the world's first cities and discover where writing, farming, and civilization began!
Ancient Mesopotamian city with tall ziggurats and busy markets along the Euphrates River at sunset
ILLUSTRATION BY Duskbloom Littles
Welcome to Mesopotamia, the "cradle of civilization" where humans first learned to live in cities over 5,000 years ago! Located between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in modern-day Iraq, this amazing land gave birth to writing, farming, and the very first cities.
The Sumerians were the first people to build cities with tall temple-towers called ziggurats. These brick pyramids reached toward the sky and could be seen for miles across the flat river valley. The most famous Mesopotamian city was Babylon, known for its hanging gardens and mighty walls.
Ancient Mesopotamian scribes writing cuneiform on clay tablets in a temple school
Mesopotamians invented cuneiform, the world's first writing system using wedge-shaped marks pressed into clay tablets. They also created the first schools, the first laws, and even the first wheel! Their smart irrigation system used canals to bring river water to their crops, turning desert land into fertile farms.
Mesopotamian farmers using irrigation canals to water their crops in the fertile river valley
Mesopotamia earned the name "cradle of civilization" because so many important ideas that shaped human society began in this fertile river valley!
