You searched for: “mesopotamia
Mesopotamia
1. An ancient region of southwest Asia between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in modern-day Iraq.

Probably settled before 5000 B.C., the area was the home of numerous early civilizations, including Sumer, Akkad, Babylonia, and Assyria.

It diminished in importance after the Mongol invaders destroyed its extensive irrigation system in A.D. 1258.

2. Etymology: from Ancient Greek ??????????? (Mesopotamía); from ????? (mésos, "between, middle") + ??????? (potamós, "river"), because Mesopotamia is located between the Euphrates and Tigris rivers.

The geography of the area allowed for the development of husbandry, agriculture, and permanent settlements.

Trade with other regions also flourished irrigation techniques were created as well as pottery and other crafts building methods based on clay bricks were developed and elaborate religious cults evolved.

It was the two rivers that became the basis upon which the wealth of the region was based and through relatively easy irrigation, agriculture could yield heavy crops.

This entry is located in the following units: meso-, mes-, mesi- (page 7) potamo-, potam- (page 1)