July 5th, 2023
By Sonakshi Khandari
Image source: Unsplash
The Mesopotamian Civilisation, also called the ‘Cradle of Civilisation’ is responsible for several invaluable discoveries that make it easy to perform mundane tasks. Read further to know what these discoveries are and how they have benefited mankind to date.
Image source: Unsplash
One of the greatest discoveries of the Mesopotamians is Cuneiform (wedge-shaped writing), which was developed in 3500 BCE. Initially, it was a pictorial representation on clay tablets, but gradually, symbols with phonetic values were identified and used.
Image source: Wikimedia Commons
Maths began as a prerequisite for trade. The sexagesimal system, or the base 60 system, was established during this time. The mathematicians of the time are also responsible for the multiplication tables, division, square roots, cubic roots, and geometry that are being taught in schools today.
Image source: Wikimedia Commons
The astronomers of the age were the first to discover the world’s oldest constellations, such as Leo, Taurus, Scorpio and Capricorn. Along with that, they even studied the sky, recorded the positions of the sun and moon and predicted eclipses.
Image source: British Museum
The world's oldest map, Illustrated on a clay tablet, depicts Babylon in 2300 BC. This map was discovered in northern Babylon, along the banks of the Euphrates River. Cartography (map-drawing practice) was later popularised by the Greeks and Romans.
Image source: Wikimedia Commons
It is an improved version of digging sticks, which can be pulled into the soil by either animals or humans. It helped agriculture thrive during that time. In fact, records further suggest that the world’s first ploughed field was discovered during the Mesopotamian age.
Image source: Wikimedia Commons
Mesopotamia is a Greek word meaning ‘between rivers. It flourished between the Euphrates and Tigris Rivers. In order to find a means to commute, the first sailboat was designed. It was square in shape, moved in the direction of the wind, and could not be steered.
Image source: British Museum
‘The Code of Hammurabi’, drafted by the Babylonian King Hammurabi, consisted of 282 laws. It is regarded as an early form of constitutional government, and one of the most famous legal principles, ‘eye for an eye', was established in this code.
Image source: Wikimedia Commons
In the earlier days, man used to move from one place to another, but in Mesopotamia, the first city was built using sun-dried bricks. Built by King Gilgamesh, it is the largest settlement to have existed in the history of mankind.
Image source: Wikimedia Commons