'Mesopotamia' is a Greek word meaning ‘between the rivers,’ and it refers to the area watered by the Euphrates and Tigris rivers and their tributaries, roughly comprising modern Iraq and parts of Syria and Turkey. South of modern Baghdad, the alluvial plain of the Euphrates and Tigris were known as Sumer and Akkad.

The Mesopotamian valley is sometimes referred to as the “Cradle of Civilization.” It was here that the very first cities developed, once farmers discovered that canal irrigation allowed them to increase agricultural production, and leaders emerged whose political and religious authority enabled them to harness the community’s work force, manage surplus food, and acquire objects that were only available via trade or warfare with areas to the north and east, such as wood, precious stones, and metal.

Map Courtesy of Time Life Books