The Mesopotamian Civilization
Mesopotamia, one of the oldest civilizations of all time, is a historical region in Western Asia located in the northern part of the Fertile Crescent, along the Tigris-Euphrates river system. Mesopotamia currently occupies modern Iraq. In a larger sense, the historical territory includes modern-day Iraq and Kuwait, as well as parts of modern-day Iran, Syria, and Turkey.
The Sumerians and Akkadians (including Assyrians and Babylonians) governed Mesopotamia from the dawn of written history (c. 3100 BC) until the Achaemenid Empire invaded Babylon in 539 BC. It fell to Alexander the Great in 332 BC, and after his death, it became part of the Greek Seleucid Empire. Later, the Arameans governed much of Mesopotamia (c. 900 BC - 270 AD). From roughly 10,000 BC, Mesopotamia was the site of the initial Neolithic Revolution advancements. It is credited for "inspiring some of the most significant developments in human history, such as the invention of the wheel, the planting of the first cereal crops, and the development of a cursive script, mathematics, astronomy, and agriculture." It is regarded as the birthplace of many of the world's ancient civilizations.
Mesopotamia was ruled by the Parthian Empire in 150 BC. It became a battleground between the Romans and the Parthians, with western parts of the region briefly falling under Roman authority. The eastern areas of Mesopotamia were conquered by the Sassanid Persians in 226 AD. The territory was divided between the Roman (Byzantine from 395 AD) and Sassanid Empires until the 7th century when the Sasanian Empire conquered Persia and the Muslims conquered the Levant from the Byzantines. Between the 1st and 3rd centuries BC, a number of mostly neo-Assyrian and Christian native Mesopotamian states existed, notably Adiabene, Osroene, and Hatra.
Period: 3500 BC–500 BC
Original location: within the Tigris–Euphrates river system, in the northern part of the Fertile Crescent
Current location: Iraq, and parts of modern-day Iran, Syria, and Turkey
Major highlights: The first civilization in the world
