Tag Archive for 'Mesopotamia'

The impression of a cylinder seal from the Uruk period, around 3100 BCE. Image credit: Louvre Museum.

Ancient Sumer’s Rise Was Driven by Interplay of Rivers and Tides, Archaeologists Say

Sep 2, 2025 by News Staff

New research introduces a paleoenvironmental model in which tidal dynamics influenced the earliest development of agriculture and sociopolitical complexity...

This ancient brick from the Slemani Museum dates to the reign of Nebuchadnezzar II (ca. 604 to 562 BCE) based on the interpretation of the inscription; this object was looted from its original context before being acquired by the Slemani Museum and stored in that museum with agreement from the central government. Image credit: Howland et al., doi: 10.1073/pnas.2313361120.

Cuneiform-Inscribed Bricks Unveil Strength of Ancient Geomagnetic Field in Mesopotamia

Dec 19, 2023 by News Staff

Reconstructing the behavior of Earth’s magnetic field during archaeological periods is crucial for both achieving a better understanding of the field...

Panicum miliaceum (left) and Echinochloa crus-galli. Image credit: Otto Wilhelm / Biolib.de.

Archaeologists Unearth Earliest Evidence of Multi-Cropping

Jan 13, 2022 by News Staff

Archaeologists have unearthed the earliest micro-botanical evidence of the summer grain broomcorn millet (Panicum miliaceum) in Mesopotamia, identified...

The rise of the Neo-Assyrian Empire occurred during a two-centuries-long interval of anomalously wet climate in the context of the past 4,000 years, while megadroughts during the early-mid 7th century BCE, as severe as recent droughts in the region but lasting for decades, triggered a decline in Assyria’s agrarian productivity and thus contributed to its eventual political and economic collapse. Image credit: Carole Raddato / CC BY-SA 2.0.

Megadroughts Likely Triggered Fall of Neo-Assyrian Empire

Nov 14, 2019 by News Staff

Climate-related megadroughts built the foundation for the collapse of the Neo-Assyrian Empire (912 to 609 BCE), the largest and most powerful empire of...

The Akkadians (left) and the Gutians (right). Illustration by H.L. Bacon.

Cold Winters and Strong Winds Contributed to Akkadian Empire Collapse, Study Suggests

Oct 25, 2019 by News Staff

The Akkadian Empire, the first united empire in Mesopotamia, was established around 2300 BCE and abruptly collapsed two centuries later. According to a...

A fragment of a pithos found at the Bet Ha-‘Emeq site. Image credit: Nimrod Getzov / Israel Antiquities Authority.

Israeli Archaeologists Find 5,000-Year-Old Seal Impression with Musical Scene

May 28, 2015 by News Staff

Israel Antiquities Authority archaeologists excavating at the archaeological site of the Bet Ha-‘Emeq have unearthed a fragment of an Early Bronze Age...