Mesopotamian History
By Ancient History Encyclopedia www.ancient.eu | A selection of Ancient History Encyclopedia's most popular articles and definitions covering ancient Mesopotamia.
Darius I
Darius I (c. 550-486 BCE), also known as Darius the Great, was the third Persian King of the Achaemenid Empire. His reign lasted 36 years, from c. …
Ancient HistoryAhura Mazda
Ahura Mazda (also known as Ahuramazda, Harzoo, Hormazd, Hourmazd, Hurmuz, Ohrmazd, 'Lord' or 'Spirit') is the highest spirit worshipped in …
Ancient HistoryThe White Obelisk of Ashurnasirpal I
In July 1853, Hormuzd Rassam was excavating an area at the ruins of the mound of Kuyunjik (Nineveh, Mesopotamia, modern-day Mosul Governorate, Iraq), …
Ancient HistoryNanshe
Nanshe (also known as Nanse, Nazi) is the Sumerian goddess of social justice and divination, whose popularity eventually transcended her original …
Ancient HistoryNanna
Nanna (also known as Nannar, Nanna-Suen, Sin, Asimbabbar, Namrasit, Inbu) is the Mesopotamian god of the moon and wisdom. He is one of the oldest …
Ancient HistoryNinurta
Ninurta (identified with Ningirsu, Pabilsag, and the biblical Nimrod) is the Sumerian and Akkadian hero-god of war, hunting, and the south wind. He …
Ancient HistoryPazuzu
Pazuzu is an Assyrian/Babylonian demonic god who was most popular in the first millenium BCE. He was the son of Hanbi (also Hanba), king of the …
Ancient HistoryUtu-Shamash
Utu (also known as Shamash, Samas, and Babbar) is the Sumerian god of the sun and divine justice. He is the son of the moon god Nanna and the …
Ancient HistoryNinhursag
Ninhursag (also Ninhursaga) is the Sumerian Mother Goddess and one of the oldest and most important in the Mesopotamian Pantheon. She is known as the …
Ancient HistoryEnlil
Enlil (also known as Ellil and Nunamnir) was the Sumerian god of the air in the Mesopotamian Pantheon but was more powerful than any other elemental …
Ancient HistoryNisaba
Nisaba (also Naga, Se-Naga, Nissaba, Nidaba, and associated with Nanibgal) is the Sumerian goddess of writing, accounts, and scribe of the gods. …
Ancient HistoryAnu
Anu (also known as An) is an early Mesopotamian sky god who was later viewed as the Father of the Gods and ruler of the heavens, a position which …
Ancient HistoryGula
Gula (also known as Ninkarrak) is the Babylonian goddess of healing and patroness of doctors, healing arts, and medical practices. She is first …
Ancient HistoryNergal
Nergal (also known as Erra and Irra) is the Mesopotamian god of death, war, and destruction. He began as a regional, probably agricultural, god of …
Ancient HistoryEnki in Ancient Literature
Enki is a god of Sumerian mythology and, later in time, known as Ea in Babylonian mythology. He was the deity of sweet water, crafts, creation, …
Ancient HistoryEreshkigal
The work begins by stating how Inanna chooses to travel to the underworld to attend Gugulana's funeral - a death she brought about - and details how …
Ancient HistoryNabu
Nabu (sometimes known as Tutu) is the Babylonian god of wisdom, learning, prophecy, scribes, and writing and was also responsible for the abundant …
Ancient HistoryEnki
Enki (also known as Ea, Enkig, Nudimmud, Ninsiku) was the Sumerian god of wisdom, fresh water, intelligence, trickery and mischief, crafts, magic, …
Ancient HistoryMarduk
Marduk was the patron god of Babylon, the Babylonian king of the gods, who presided over justice, compassion, healing, regeneration, magic, and …
Ancient HistoryThird Gender Figures in the Ancient Near East
In the ancient Near East, there was a social standard by which men were ideally expected to behave. In the 21st century CE, expectations still exist, …
Ancient HistoryCuneiform Lexical Lists
Lexical lists are compilations of cuneiform signs and word readings written on clay tablets throughout Mesopotamia. From the late 4th millennium BCE …
Ancient HistoryAssyrian Lion-Hunting at the British Museum
Whoever was privileged to gain access to the North Palace of the Assyrian king Ashurbanipal at Nineveh, could consider himself part of something …
Ancient HistoryMari
Mari was a city-state located near the west bank of the Euphrates River in Northern Mesopotamia (now eastern Syria) during the Early Bronze Age and …
Ancient HistoryMesopotamian Effects on Israel During the Iron Age
The Iron Age in the traditional Ancient Near Eastern chronology ranges from somewhere around 1200 BCE to 333 BCE. It begins from the era when it was …
Ancient HistoryTheir History and Significance
Among the most interesting and revealing artifacts discovered from ancient Mesopotamia are the objects known as cylinder seals. These fairly small …
Ancient HistoryCylinder Seal
Cylinder Seals were impression stamps used by the people of ancient Mesopotamia. Known as <i>kishib</i> in Sumerian and <i>kunukku</i> in Akkadian, the seals were …
Ancient HistorySumerian Language
The Sumerian language was spoken in southern Mesopotamia before the 2nd millennium BCE and was the first language to be written in the cuneiform …
Ancient HistoryAmarna Letters
The Amarna Letters are a body of 14th century BCE correspondence exchanged between the rulers of the Ancient Near East and Egypt. They are perhaps …
Ancient HistoryUnearthing a Neo-Assyrian grave in Erbil, Iraq
An archaeologist friend of mine once told me: “Less than 5% of the Mesopotamian history has been found, and wherever you dig, anywhere in the land of …
Archaeology