Surviving in Mesopotamia

Mankind’s first real home

The oldest human remains have been confirmed to be just over 200,000 years old and were discovered in modern-day Ethiopia. This is believed to be the cradle of humanity and even though bones of other human-like species have been found elsewhere, they cannot be definitively confirmed to be the same as us. During this time the earth was deep in an ice age glacial period and the top half of the northern hemisphere was a no-go zone.

(The ancient region of Mesopotamia, covered in lush and fertile farming land)

Africa would have been very different than it is today and the Ethiopia region would have been similar in climate to the modern-day southern areas of the northern Mediterranean Sea, such as Italy or Spain. After the population began to increase from its starting point, humans wandered out in all directions in search of new lands, and enough of them found the same paradise, creating civilizations that would last for hundreds of years.

Even though we’ve been around for over 200,000 years, it wasn’t until the last 50,000 years that our brains developed to the level where we figured out how to do more advanced things. It’s widely accepted that people didn’t leave Africa until after this happened, and most likely moved over to mainland Asia around 30,000 BCE.

Some people kept walking and made it all the way across the land bridge between Russia and Canada to become the native Americans. Some stayed in the regions they found after centuries of traveling in nomadic tribes, but many stayed in one of the first areas they found forming numerous city nations and new civilizations, and this region came to be known as Mesopotamia.

What is Mesopotamia?

In modern-day Iraq, there are two main river systems called the Tigris and the Euphrates, both of which run for hundreds of miles and are the main reason so many people could live in the area. When people first found this area tens of thousands of years ago, the sea levels would have been much lower and the temperature in the region wouldn’t have been as hot as it is now because of the huge glaciers in the north cooling global winds and oceans.

(A map showing the main river systems in the area, each of which would have had hundreds of smaller rivers and streams connecting into them)

The massive river systems flowing through the area combined with the large sheltered valleys created the perfect area to grow crops, which was the only way to support a large population in the same place. Mesopotamia is recognized as being the first place on earth where the mass production of food took place through farming. Before this, people all across the world would survive by living hunter-gatherer lifestyles but this became very difficult and risky when the number of people started to increase.

Mesopotamia was the name of the region and didn’t belong to one group of people, instead, it was home to numerous city nations and small civilizations who all had their own piece of fertile growing land.

Why was Mesopotamia important?

When people first passed through the area will never be known, but it was heavily settled from around 10,000 BCE onwards, at which point the population of the earth was much smaller. No one can agree on how many people there were during 10,000 BCE, but most estimates range from between 1 and 15 million people globally. Because no one can agree on how many people there were in the world, or where they were, it’s impossible to know the population of Mesopotamia or any of the civilizations within it.

Apart from being the first place a human civilization was created, it is also home to some of the biggest inventions of the human race. This is thought to be where the wheel was invented, along with mathematics, astronomy, farming techniques including animal domestication, and the written word.

(An artists impression of a hall inside the Assyrian palace, one of the many civilisations of the region)

Some of the civilizations that lived there are mentioned in the bible and their names are still known by many to this day, such as the Babylonians, Akkadians, and Sumerians. Other such creations of these people have even been the stuff of legends, like the hanging gardens of Babylon which is the only one of the Seven Ancient Wonders of the World that hasn’t had its location confirmed.

Surviving in Mesopotamia as the average person?

With the increase in the population making it no longer possible to support everyone with hunting and gathering, the only way to move forward was to farm. Grain was the main staple of the region and nothing was grown in larger amounts than wheat, due to it lasting a long time when dried and also allowing them to feed large amounts of animals through the winter.

The range of vegetables they had was unknown, but it was common for many of the earlier civilizations around the world to survive mostly on grain and fish/meat. The fertile farmland would be able to mass-produce enough grain to support a steady population growth, which wasn’t a problem until people expanded to the point their numbers were a threat to others.

Homes were built with mud bricks or clay-covered stick homes in a wattle and daub style for the poor, with carved stone being used for the rich and important buildings like temples and defensive walls. Most of their clothing would be linen which they could grow themselves, and life here would have been easy compared to the people living a nomadic life or in a colder climate.

(An artwork created during the 7th century BCE showing King Ashurbanipal fighting in a chariot)

What happened to Mesopotamia?

There were a few early wars fought, but everything was relatively peaceful until an age known as the Rise of Empires which started around 2350 BCE. This saw an Akkadian ruler called Sargon of Akkad lead a series of campaigns against neighboring nations, leading to the region being dominated by the Arkkadians and Sumerians. In 539 BCE, the city of Babylon fell, putting an end to their civilization, after this a series of conquerors came to the region during their war campaigns and destroyed ancient sites and ended long-standing city nations, turning the region into a constant battleground.

The most notable of invaders would be Alexander the Great who took a large portion of the region in 332 BCE, and after this, the Romans came and fought the Parthian empire for control of what was left of the territory. By the time the Romans had finished in the area, all of the ancient and first cities ever built had either been completely destroyed or changed to the point where no one could tell what was original.