There's nothing like Mesopotamian civilization like no other. The ancient civilization gave us the basics that all early civilizations must have.

They existed around 5000 BC to the fall of Babylon in 539 BC. It is located in the middle east. Although Mesopotamia refers to lands between the Euphrates and Tigris rivers, Mesopotamia also means between the rivers. The land mainly consisted of dry plains and deserts; they had two rivers that proved to be plentiful in agriculture due to irrigation, making it bountiful even with the lack of rain in the region. People had already lived here before the start of the Mesopotamia Era; they were already farming settlements. But during the early Ancient era of Mesopotamia in 5000 BC-3500 BC, due to the plentiful food going around, small settlements grew in numbers, and so did their settlements; their temples also grew more prominent. Sooner or later, the Sumeria people would create the first city-state in the middle east. the first proper city called Uruk, the start of all beginnings and ends.

Mesopotamians or the Sumerians is the civilization that gave us writing, metallurgy, mathematics, basics of time, maps, and notably the wheel. The first signs of writing were image writing in the Mesopotamia era; they contained information such as laws, administrative documents, letters, stories, and hymns, some were on walls, but they would use clay tablets in day-to-day use. They would be the first to use currency in exchange for objects of value. Initially, buying things didn't exist; before currency, it was more of an exchange than a purchase like trading fur for food, etc.

One of their most important inventions was hard to pick, mathematics or wheel, but I chose the wheel because it was a step forward for transportation; they made carts to transport food and goods from one city-state to another, making trading accessible resources stocked and never depleted. Then, of course, mathematics was essential; through counting, they managed to be more organized than civilization before them and in the present. When others still live in huts, they hunt and farm for their food in small villages, while the Sumerians already have multiple city-states with trading lines, farms, markets, and claws resembling modern civilization like today.

Sumerians were pioneers and innovators of early human society development. Not only that, they made several technological and concept breakthroughs such as irrigation, wheel, metallurgy, glass, accounting, and many more. In particular, although they invented the clock, the idea of the time of day and night has perceived time in their daily lives. For example, time of meetings, time for breakfast or dinner, etc., they utilize it to the best of their abilities. One of my favourites tales that they invented was the epic of Gilgamesh, a story of a king to find the secret of immortality after his friend died. It is also one of the oldest tales in human history that survived to this day.

The Mesopotamian Era was a period of what humanity is truly capable of, and this was a pure example of creating and utilizing the tools we make and the ideas we muster to strive for a better future. Although this Era did not last long, and its civilization fell. Their influence in the world never died.

Thomas Arcilla

A 2nd professional writing student who loves video games and sushi. He writes a lot of novels but never finishes them. However, he promised to end them eventually, at least one of them.