The Wonders of Ancient Mesopotamia

Mesopotamia, the ‘Land between the Rivers’, includes modern Iraq, north east Syria, and south east Turkey.

The rivers are the Tigris and Euphrates, which flow from highland Turkey to the Gulf, through areas of rich farmland that were home to some of the first experiments in agriculture and irrigation.

Urban civilisation as we understand it today, originated in Mesopotamia with the emergence of the first cities and complex forms of social organisation and economic activity.

Crucial developments of ancient Mesopotamia include the invention of writing, long-distance communication and trade networks and the first empires. A tradition of sophisticated art and literature began and flourished together with remarkable intellectual, spiritual and scientific achievements that still have a profound influence on modern life today.

More than 3000 years of ancient Mesopotamian history and achievements can be illustrated chronologically through a wide range of spectacular artefacts from the collections of the Middle East Department of the British Museum. The innovations, beliefs, artistic craftsmanship, power and legacy of Mesopotamia can be explored through these objects many of which result from famous excavations of legendary ancient cities such as Ur, Nineveh and Babylon. 

Future venues

Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto
22 June 2013 – 5 January 2014