Fusion and Transformation: the Diverse Cultures of Mesopotamia

The term "Mesopotamia" comes from the Greek and means "land between the rivers", referring to the region lying between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. This area extends from the southern foothills of the Taurus Mountains in the north, south to the Persian Gulf, west to the Syrian Desert and east to the Zagros Mountains. Being a floodplain region, the terrain is flat and the earth quite fertile. People settled in the area particularly early, and this region became one of the greatest centers of civilization. During its early history, the area was occupied by a number of peoples, including the Sumerians, Akkadians, Babylonians, and Persians, who all at one time or another established kingdoms there. In 331 BC, the region was conquered and united under Alexander the Great, and in the first century BC, the Roman Empire annexed it as the Seleucid Kingdom.



The Sumerians were the first to establish a city in the land between the Rivers, developing a form of writing known as cuneiform and building magnificent shrines and palatial halls as well as creating beautiful ritual vessels, jewelry, sculptures, and carvings. The first people to set up an empire in Mesopotamia were the Assyrians, and it was Alexander the Great who brought Greek culture into the region. As a result, the cultures of Mesopotamia are defined by the long line of diverse peoples who have ruled this land between the Rivers.