Reasons Why Mesopotamia Should be Considered a Civilization

Mesopotamia- the land between the rivers- was a region of land in the Middle East between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers that has been dubbed as the “cradle of civilization.” But why does Mesopotamia get the title of a civilization? From the invention of the wheel to the invention of writing, Mesopotamia is responsible for many 'firsts' in human history. As people began to settle down permanently, due to a decrease in the need for farmers, people began to specialize in occupations. The more people that moved into Mesopotamia, the more traditions and beliefs spread throughout the area and soon a state religion became evident. Therefore, Mesopotamia is a civilization because it made major contributions in the fields of Writing and Science, it had people beginning to specialize in occupations and it had a state religion.

First of all, Mesopotamia can be considered a civilization because of the contributions it made in the fields of Writing and Science. One of its most important contribution, was the development of one of the first systems of writing. With the increase of farming and trade, the people of Mesopotamia developed a way of keeping records and communicating through cuneiform script. Cuneiform began as a series of pictograms pressed onto clay tablets but soon these pictograms turned into more abstract symbols. This invention proves that Mesopotamia was a civilization because it allowed for people in Mesopotamia to keep records, write religious texts and produce other literary work. Another important invention was that of the wheel invented by the Sumerians. The first wheel was made of clay, rock and mud and allowed for oxen to pull three times more weight than before. This proves that Mesopotamia is a civilizati...

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...fields of Writing and Science, people beginning to specialize in occupations and because of the existence of a state religion. Mesopotamians made crucial inventions such as that of cuneiform-the first system of writing- and the first wheel. They also began specializing in specific trades such as weaving and baking which allowed Mesopotamia to grow into a more complex society. Lastly, they had a state religion with prominent deities who sanctified social order and united Mesopotamians. Mesopotamian civilization is very important to the study of history. Some of the world's most fundamental inventions, discoveries, and technologies came about in Mesopotamia which served as the building blocks for other civilizations to form. This means that it is only through studying about Mesopotamia that historians can understand other civilizations that developed after Mesopotamia.