mesopotamia ki sabhyata

mesopotamia ki sabhyata                                   ## Mesopotamian Civilization: Brief Introduction

**Mesopotamia** was an ancient civilization located in present-day Iraq and surrounding areas. This civilization was mainly located between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. This region was called 'Mesopotamia', which is derived from the Greek words "meso" (between) and "potamos" (river), meaning "land between two rivers." It is considered to be one of the first and most advanced civilizations in human history. The development of Mesopotamian civilization began around 3500 BC and this region remained the center of human civilization for about 6,000 years.

The area of ​​​​Mesopotamian civilization is difficult to determine with certainty, because its extent kept changing at different times. This civilization was mainly spread in present-day Iraq, northeastern Syria, southwestern Iran and parts of Turkey. However, its center was the region between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, known as the 'Fertile Crescent'.

The major city-state civilizations of Mesopotamia (such as Sumer, Akkad, Assyria, and Babylon) controlled different areas over time, but in its central regions the civilization can be said to have covered an area of ​​about **65,000 to 130,000 square kilometers** (or 6.5 million to 13 million hectares).

This region was highly suitable for agriculture, trade, and cultural development and this allowed it to become such a large and powerful civilization.

### Key Features of Mesopotamian Civilization:

1. **Geography**: The region of Mesopotamia was located in parts of present-day Iraq, Syria, and Turkey. The fertile land and suitable climate for irrigation contributed to the development of agriculture and cities.

2. **Construction of cities**: Several major city-states developed in this civilization such as Ur, Uruk, Akkad, Sumer and Babylon. Each city-state had an independent ruler and gods.

3. **Script**: The world's oldest known writing system 'cuneiform' developed in the Mesopotamian civilization. This script was first written on clay tablets.

4. **Religion**: The Mesopotamians were polytheists, they worshiped many gods, who were associated with natural forces and phenomena. The main gods among them were - Enlil (god of wind), Inanna (goddess of love and war), and Marduk (the main god of Babylon).

5. **Science and technology**: The people of Mesopotamia were advanced in mathematics, astrology, medicine and architecture. They invented the wheel and developed irrigation systems.

 6. **Governance System**: This civilization mainly had a monarchical system of governance. The most famous king was Hammurabi, who created the world's first legal code 'Hammurabi Code' around 1754 BC.

### Discovery of Mesopotamian Civilization

The credit for the discovery of Mesopotamian civilization goes to European archaeologists. In the mid-19th century, many explorers from Europe started excavating in this region.

1. **Modern Discoveries**: In the 1840s and 1850s, **Austen Henry Layard** excavated ancient cities like Nineveh and Nimrud and collected important information about this civilization for the first time.

 2. Discovery of Sumer: In 1877, Ernest de Sarzec excavated the Sumerian city of Lagash, the oldest civilization in Mesopotamia.

3. Discovery of cuneiform script: During excavations in this region, archaeologists found millions of cuneiform tablets, which took decades to decipher. By the end of the 19th century, the cuneiform script was fully translated and a lot of information was obtained from it.

                                                                         Mesopotamian **Cuneiform Script** is one of the oldest known scripts in the world, developed by the Sumerians around 3500 BC. This script used symbols drawn with triangular pointed tools on clay tablets. After translating the languages ​​written on these tablets, many important information was obtained, which explains the civilization, culture, history and science of Mesopotamia.

-### Main information obtained after translation:

-1. **Administration and governance system**:

Many documents written on cuneiform tablets were administrative records, which were related to taxation, trade, land transactions and population figures.

The **Code of Hammurabi** was also translated through the cuneiform script. It is one of the oldest and most detailed legal codes in the world, which mentions punishments and laws for various crimes. This gives us a deeper understanding of the Mesopotamian justice system and social system.

-2. **Religion and Myth**:

 Many tablets contained religious texts and myths, such as the Epic of Gilgamesh. It is considered to be the oldest known literary text in the world. It describes a flood story, which is believed to be connected to the later Biblical flood story.

-Other religious texts mention the worship practices of gods and goddesses, rituals and rules of sacrifice. These give us information about the faith and religious ideas of the Mesopotamian people.

-3. **Science and Mathematics**:

- Texts related to astrology, mathematics, and medicine have also been found on cuneiform tablets. For example, the Sumerians and Babylonians developed a sexagesimal system based on 60, which is still used today to measure time (hours, minutes, seconds) and angles.

- Medical documents also contain details of symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment of diseases, which shows that medical science was developed at that time.

-4. **Trade and Economy**:

- Trade activities were also of special importance in the Mesopotamian civilization. Cuneiform tablets contain information about trade deals, transactions of textiles, food items, metals, and other goods. This makes it clear that this region was a trading center.

- Economic records also included information about the landholding system, division of labor, and trade routes. This civilization was mainly based on agriculture, and there was trade in grains, animal husbandry and handicrafts.

-5. **Education and Literature**:

- The translated tablets also contain educational material, which contains descriptions of mathematical puzzles, poetry, and the study of grammar. This tells us that education and literature were important in Mesopotamian society.

-6. **Political and historical information**:

- Some tablets contain descriptions of the orders, wars and conquests of kings and rulers. This reveals the political situation of that time and relations with neighboring civilizations.

- These writings contain details of the history of major cities and their rulers such as Akkad, Sumer, Assyria, and Babylon.

 ### Important discoveries and impact:

- The cuneiform tablets were used to translate texts in Sumerian, Akkadian, and later Babylonian and Assyrian. This provided important insight into the structure and evolution of these ancient languages.

- These translations revealed that Mesopotamian civilization was highly advanced, with well-developed arts, sciences, and law.

- Mesopotamia's contribution to the fields of history, literature, religion, and science has been invaluable. Its study has left a deep impact on the development of modern human civilization.

-### Conclusion:

The translation of cuneiform tablets has given us extensive information about the rich culture of Mesopotamia, its religious and social structure, scientific advancement, and political history. This civilization is one of the most ancient and advanced civilizations in human history, and its discovery added a new chapter to the understanding of human history and civilization.

### Reasons for the Decline of the Civilization:

The Mesopotamian civilization gradually weakened due to many factors. These included invasions, natural disasters, and environmental problems (such as soil erosion). Eventually, this civilization ended with the capture of Babylon by the Persians in about 539 BC.

### Conclusion:

The Mesopotamian civilization is one of the most important civilizations in human history. Its advanced culture, architecture, science, and government deeply influenced subsequent civilizations. The region was an important site for the development of human civilization and its achievements had a profound impact on human history.