Mesopotamia
Definition
Mesopotamia is an ancient region located in the eastern Mediterranean, corresponding to present-day Iraq, mostly, but also parts of modern-day Iran, Syria and Turkey. It's known as the birthplace of some of the world's earliest civilizations.
Analogy
Think of Mesopotamia like a historical playground. Just like your local playground might be where you first learned to swing or slide, Mesopotamia is where many societies first learned to farm, write, and create laws.
Related terms
Sumerians: The Sumerians were one of the earliest urban societies to emerge in the world, in Southern Mesopotamia more than 5000 years ago. They developed a writing system whose wedge-shaped strokes would influence the style of scripts in the same geographical area for the next 3000 years.
Cuneiform: This is a system of writing first developed by the ancient Sumerians of Mesopotamia around 3500-3000 BCE. It's considered one of the most significant contributions from this civilization.
Ziggurat: A ziggurat is a type of massive structure built in ancient Mesopotamia. It has a terraced compound with successively receding stories or levels.
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