Uruk

Uruk was an Ancient city where many Mesopotamians lived. Uruk is located where Iraq is located now. It is right in between the Euphrates and Tigris rivers. Uruk was established in 5000 BC (7023 years ago), By the king Emnerkar. Uruk was considered one of the first cities in Sumer. It was so well known that Uruk ended up having a peak at 50,000- 80,000 people. Uruk was considered one of the best cities to settle in.

Uruk was one of the best cities because of its leaders. The first leader was king Emnerkar. He was famous for his various campaigns against the land of Aratta (A land that appears in sumerian myths). The next leader after him was Lugalbanda (the father of Gilgamesh). It is believed that he was the leader of Uruk for 1200 years. The most well known leader of Uruk was Gilgamesh. He was famous for his drive for fame and when he left his kingdom for immortality. He eventually realized how selfish he was and became more mature when he came back to Uruk. 

Another one of the things that made Uruk great was living there. One of the reasons it was great to live there was the 6 mile long wall built by gilgamesh. Another thing that was great about living in Uruk was that you could get water from the Euprhates and Tigris rivers since it was right in between them. The water from the rivers ended up helping with abundant crops (Rice, yam ,potatoes etc.) grow. People who lived in Uruk lived in semi subterranean houses made of stone. Semi subterranean houses are houses partially under the ground. Another one of the things that was great about living in Uruk was their writing system, Cuneiform. Cuneiform was one of the first ancient writing systems used in Mesopotamia. Uruk was great for its many inventions, houses, and its resources.  (HM)

Ur 

Ur was founded in 3800 BCE as one of the world’s first true cities, located in what is today southern Iraq. It is also mentioned in the Bible as the birthplace of Abraham. This city was alive and thriving for a long time, with it being uninhabited by 500 BCE This means that Ur was around for about 3300 years. That's almost 13 times longer than the United States!

Ur was a large city with many people in it, with the estimated population being around 65,000. With all of these people, there had to be some order and dominance in the city. This is where the 3 social classes come in. The top class was reserved for government officials, soldiers, and priests. The middle class was for the average villager, with it including teachers, farmers, merchants, etcetera. The bottom class was for slaves imprisoned in war.

You may be wondering, how do we know all of this stuff about Ur if it was so long ago? Well, an archaeologist named Sir Leonard Wooley found an important artifact from this city, the Royal Tombs of Ur. These tombs contained about 2,500 burials, lots of jewelry and other forms of riches. The tombs informed lots of archaeologists and historians about daily life in Ur.

Another example of the monumental architectural feats in Ur was the Ziggurat of Ur. This pyramid-type structure was a grand centerpiece of the city. It was 66 feet tall, and huge. At first, this structure was reserved for the gods only. Later, though, the Ziggurat was used as a workshop for artisans and a temple for priests.  Sadly, the only layer that remains today is the bottom. (EL)

Babylon

Mesopotamia  started some of the  best cities like Babylon. Babylon is located between the Euphrates and Tigris river. Strong kings like king hammurabi became very famous for compiling the world’s first ever legal code, which then led to the Babylon eclipse to the  Sumarian capital.  The capital of Summer is Ur.Baylon is  a very special place that has tons of history.

Now let's talk about Hammurabi, and  Nebuchadnezzar  First we have Hammurabi, Hammurabi ruled from 179 2 to 1750 B.C. Hammurabi was best known for his surveying set of laws. Now lastly Hammurabi was the sixth amorite king of the old babylonian empire . Now let's talk about Nebuchadnezzar. Nebuchadnezzar  was known for conquering Syria and Palestine and making Babylon a better place.  

Babylon really took off when the Hanging Gardens came to Babylon because the Hanging Gardens aren’t just beautiful but have a cool  story behind them. King Nebuchadnezzar wanted something for his wife since she was homesick so he got a bunch of beautiful plants and built something that would remind her of the mountains from the hometown. He then walked her through the gardens that he made and they are now one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. (MG)                          

Nineveh

Nineveh was an ancient city located on the Tigrus river on the east bank. Across the river from It was also the capital of the assyrian Empire   

The city was a strong center of worship for the fertility goddess Ishtar. It was the first Settlement at Nineveh that first occurred by about 6000 BC.Its important because it was the home of King Sennacherib and King Assyria.

It was also special because It was a great populous city with large walls,stunning places, and colossal statues of pure gold.  Nineveh was an important piece to history and it's important we remember why it's important. (ME)

Nimrud

If you ever have a chance to go to the northwest palace in ancient mesopotamia you may see engravings or sculptures  about the city Nimrud on the walls. Most people just walk on by and take it for granted and go and look at the tombs underground,but what if I told you that every carving tells a story you  won't want to miss!

Back in around 859 BC-883 BC the assyrian king Ashurnasirpal lll built the northwest palace. The northwest palace was built in a city called Nimrud. Nimrud covered seven acors which are located on the Tigris river (modern day Iraq) The city Nimrud is most famous for its engravings on the walls. On these engravings on the walls it shows the assyrian king Ashurnasirpal the lll and all of his accomplishments on a heavy piece of marble called mosul marble. This marble is suitable for carving because mosul marble is known for not cracking easily and clear carvings. Next to these carvings is a described text also called the standard inscription.

Sadly,Nimrud remained a major city and a royal residence until the city was largely destroyed during the fall of the Assyrian Empire at the hands of an alliance of former subject peoples, including the Babylonians,Chaldeans, Medes, Persians, Scythians, and Cimmerians (between 616 BC and 599 BC). Currently the city Nimrud is in the process of being rebuilt. But, the rebuilding may be postponed due to the current war.  (TB)