mesopotamia sailboat facts

Ancient Mesopotamia Sailboats: An Introduction

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Five thousand years ago Mesopotamians started using sailing boats. Since Mesopotamia was situated between two famous rivers, namely the Euphrates and the Tigris, they needed water transportation for travel and trade. Some of the important items they are credited with inventing include wheels, chariots, sailboats and cuneiform (the earliest form of writing). These are just some of the contributions by the Mesopotamians to the modern world. All this and more was around four to five thousand years ago. Let’s explore more about the important role of sailboats in their culture.

Why Did the Mesopotamians Need Sailboats?

A civilization flourishes based on its trade and commerce, and Mesopotamia was no exception. They wanted to set up trade relationships with nearby cities and countries. These were in the days before road routes were built making transportation of goods by land routes hectic and difficult. Therefore, they had to figure out an alternative mode of transportation for goods and people. This came in the form of water transportation, and thus the first boats were invented.

They were simple wooden boats that would carry people and goods downstream and then back upstream. But boats need people to navigate and guide them across rough waters, so the solution of having a vessel carry their goods and people had to be refined. Thus sailboats were invented. They were primitive in design, but the sailboats helped the Mesopotamians in trade and commerce.

They also helped in irrigation and fishing. Mesopotamians had mastered the art of fishing. They would go downstream using sailboats, cast their nets, stay, wait and return with the catch. Thus the sailboats of Mesopotamia helped the Mesopotamians establish trade relationships with other cities and countries, making them one of most famous civilizations to flourish and change the course of history with their inventions.

How were the Sailboats of Mesopotamians Made?

The sailboats of Mesopotamia were simple in design; the sails were square in shape and made of cloth. The angle and direction of the sails coul not be changed. If the wind blew in the direction that the sailboats desired to go, things went well. If that wasn’t the case, they had to wait for the wind to blow in their favor!

The hull or the body of the boat was made of wood. Trees were cut and made into planks, and the planks were roughly shaped and joined together to make the body of the boat. Though they couldn’t handle lots of cargo or people at a given time, they could do better than what other sailing vessels of that time had to offer. The design work they did on their sailboats provided the basis for all future sailboats, even five thousand years later.

Until the fall of Mesopotamian civilization, not many changes were made to the basic design of the sailboat. This crucial invention largely helped in making Mesopotamian civilization a great empire and civilization along with the society’s other contributions.

Mesopotamia gave the world incredible contributions like wheels, cuneiform, sailboats, glass making, textile weaving and a lot more, truly making them one of the greatest civilizations ever to walk on this planet. Their sailboats were as simple as they needed to be, but they introduced plank construction and square sails. Even though the vessels were of limited capacity, these ships revolutionized water travel. The basic design of their sailboats is still in use even today.

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The Use of the Sail in Ancient Mesopotamia

Why Was Egypt of Strategic Importance During WWII?

Mesopotamia was one of the earliest civilizations on the planet. Its name means "land between two rivers." The rivers described in the nation's title are the Tigris and the Euphrates. Mesopotamian citizens and their culture contributed immeasurably to life in the modern world. One of the most critical inventions in human history can be traced back to Mesopotamia: the invention of the sail.

The Mesopotamian Sailboat

Mesopotamia, tucked beneath the Tigris and the Euphrates rivers and home to the community of Sumer, was one of the earliest civilizations on the planet, but there were other civilizations nearby. As a land with precious little in the way of natural resources, Mesopotamians were beholden to other civilizations. In order to survive, Mesopotamians needed to trade and enter into commercial relationships with other societies.

In order to be able to trade, Mesopotamians needed to be able to travel. This was a more difficult prospect than is possibly conceivable to the modern imagination. Because of the location of the civilization being situated between two rivers, traveling to other communities by water was a necessity. Besides the fact that they were situated in an area surrounded by water, roads had not yet been developed, which made travel throughout the land mass a challenging and often dangerous enterprise. This is to say nothing of the risk Mesopotamians' wares faced, traveling in inhospitable climates over rough terrain. Water travel development was inevitable.

In addition to bringing people across the water to trade, the Mesopotamians also needed to be able to shuttle goods and wares – both goods they planned to sell and the goods they acquired upon their return. The development of the earliest boats meant that Mesopotamians could load up a water-faring vessel with goods and ride with them downstream toward the desired landing and trading place. However, people were required to steer, to row and to guide the boat. This made the earliest canoe-like structures difficult to use to transport goods.

The very first sailboats produced by the Mesopotamians would look extremely primitive by today's standards. The boats themselves were made of bundles of wood and a material called papyrus. The sails were made of linen or papyrus and were shaped like a large rectangle or a square. These simple boats could carry people and goods upstream and downstream and could be used to navigate difficult waterways or inclement weather. The addition of the sailboat to the Mesopotamian lifestyle changed everything about civilization as we know it.

What Did Mesopotamia Trade?

Trade was a key force in the development of the Mesopotamian civilization. Sumer, another name for the area where Mesopotamia was located (which today is known as Iraq or Kuwait), was a thriving civilization with art, music and writing. Because Mesopotamia was scarce in terms of natural resources necessary for survival, the Mesopotamians had to trade what they had or what they could make from what they had.

Mesopotamians typically traded wool, cloth and various kinds of jewels as well as staples like oil and wine. The jewels they traded were like lapis lazuli, and the wool they traded was from sheep or goats. Textiles, ivory, copper, reeds and other materials that could be used for building, decoration or entertainment were traded and sold in order to buy the kinds of natural resources that the Sumerians needed for agriculture, building and dwelling.

The trade routes along the Tigris and the Euphrates were among the most extensive and important trade routes in ancient history. The Mesopotamian economy was wholly reliant on the trade routes with which it was involved and required the constant commerce in which it engaged with other nearby cities in order to ensure its own survival.

Consequences of the Sumerian Sailboat Invention

The Sumerians had invented sailboats in order to more efficiently trade with neighboring civilizations. However, after navigating the waterways successfully with the sailboat, the Sumerians realized that it would be useful in wartime too.

The Sumerian sailboat was constructed from light materials which not only enabled it to float but allowed the boats to easily be ferried from land to sea and back again. As the Sumerian sailboats became increasingly used for battle or tactical maneuvering, the design of the boat evolved. Rather than a canoe-shaped vessel, the sides of the boat were raised up higher to protect the oarsmen and passengers from any planned sort of attack. The platforms inside of the ship were raised at an angle so that all of the men onboard would have the ability to fire at their enemy with good aim.

In later years, the Sumerians began to add large battering rams to the front of their ships so that they could deliberately smash into their opponent's boat during a battle. Because the sailing technology was dependent on wind rather than mechanized technology, the boats were still nowhere near as advanced as warships would become, but regardless, the development of the sailboat was a tremendous step forward in military tactics and planning. The impact of the development of the sailboat is still felt today.

What Did the Sumerians Invent?

There are many things aside from the sailboat for which modern civilization is indebted to the Sumerians. If you look back at the history of Sumerian civilization and its innovations, it is striking to see how many pieces of our daily lives in the modern world are traceable back to the ancient civilization between the Tigris and the Euphrates. One of the most profound and world-changing innovations to come out of Sumerian society was the development of cuneiform. Cuneiform was an early form of writing that allowed Sumerians to keep track of their trading, their inventory and their crops. The Sumerians were meticulous bookkeepers, and their cuneiform is the basis for all written language.

Almost more critical than writing is the concept of time, an idea that can be traced back to the ancient Sumerians. Sumerians recognized the light in the sky and the subsequent darkness as the effect of a change. It was this innovative civilization that began to divide the day into portions based on a 60-second minute and then a 60-minute hour. In this realm of abstract concepts, we can also give credit to the Sumerians for the discovery of geometry and for developing a system of numbers and counting.

On the more practical side of things, Sumerians were responsible for innovating the very first wheeled vehicle. They developed schools and with them the concept of truancy and delinquency. They developed children's toys and writing implements and a variety of instruments and artistic tools that were designed to provoke pleasure and delight. The Sumerian inventions communicate that theirs was not a society founded simply on a need and desire for survival but one that also prized the arts, entertainment, child development and the pursuit of pleasure.

In terms of the advancements that help to build a society on a logistical level, we have the Sumerians to thank for much of that too. Domestication of animals, development of agricultural strategies and methods, the beginnings of irrigation plans, city building and improvements made to rudimentary dwelling structures all took place during the Sumerian civilization. Many dental and medical advancements were realized during this period as well.

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Ashley Friedman is a freelance writer with experience writing about education for a variety of organizations and educational institutions as well as online media sites. She has written for Pearson Education, The University of Miami, The New York City Teaching Fellows, New Visions for Public Schools, and a number of independent secondary schools. She lives in Los Angeles.

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Mesopotamia

By: History.com Editors

Updated: April 24, 2023 | Original: November 30, 2017

Mesopotamia is a region of southwest Asia in the Tigris and Euphrates river system that benefitted from the area’s climate and geography to host the beginnings of human civilization. Its history is marked by many important inventions that changed the world, including the concept of time, math, the wheel, sailboats, maps and writing. Mesopotamia is also defined by a changing succession of ruling bodies from different areas and cities that seized control over a period of thousands of years.

Where is Mesopotamia?

Mesopotamia is located in the region now known as the Middle East, which includes parts of southwest Asia and lands around the eastern Mediterranean Sea. It is part of the Fertile Crescent , an area also known as “Cradle of Civilization” for the number of innovations that arose from the early societies in this region, which are among some of the earliest known human civilizations on earth.

The word “mesopotamia” is formed from the ancient words “meso,” meaning between or in the middle of, and “potamos,” meaning river. Situated in the fertile valleys between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, the region is now home to modern-day Iraq, Kuwait, Turkey and Syria .

Mesopotamian Civilization

Humans first settled in Mesopotamia in the Paleolithic era. By 14,000 B.C., people in the region lived in small settlements with circular houses.

Five thousand years later, these houses formed farming communities following the domestication of animals and the development of agriculture, most notably irrigation techniques that took advantage of the proximity of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.

Agricultural progress was the work of the dominant Ubaid culture, which had absorbed the Halaf culture before it.

Ancient Mesopotamia

These scattered agrarian communities started in the northern part of the ancient Mesopotamian region and spread south, continuing to grow for several thousand years until forming what modern humans would recognize as cities, which were considered the work of the Sumer people.

Uruk was the first of these cities, dating back to around 3200 B.C. It was a mud brick metropolis built on the riches brought from trade and conquest and featured public art, gigantic columns and temples. At its peak, it had a population of some 50,000 citizens.

Sumerians are also responsible for the earliest form of written language, cuneiform, with which they kept detailed clerical records.

By 3000 B.C., Mesopotamia was firmly under the control of the Sumerian people. Sumer contained several decentralized city-states—Eridu, Nippur, Lagash, Uruk, Kish and Ur.

The first king of a united Sumer is recorded as Etana of Kish. It’s unknown whether Etana really existed, as he and many of the rulers listed in the Sumerian King List that was developed around 2100 B.C. are all featured in Sumerian mythology as well.

Etana was followed by Meskiaggasher, the king of the city-state Uruk. A warrior named Lugalbanda took control around 2750 B.C.

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Gilgamesh, the legendary subject of the Epic of Gilgamesh , is said to be Lugalbanda’s son. Gilgamesh is believed to have been born in Uruk around 2700 B.C.

The Epic of Gilgamesh is considered to be the earliest great work of literature and the inspiration for some of the stories in the Bible. In the epic poem, Gilgamesh goes on an adventure with a friend to the Cedar Forest, the land of the Gods in Mesopotamian mythology. When his friend is slain, Gilgamesh goes on a quest to discover the secret of eternal life, finding: "Life, which you look for, you will never find. For when the gods created man, they let death be his share, and life withheld in their own hands."

King Lugalzagesi was the final king of Sumer, falling to Sargon of Akkad, a Semitic people, in 2334 B.C. They were briefly allies, conquering the city of Kish together, but Lugalzagesi’s mercenary Akkadian army was ultimately loyal to Sargon.

Sargon and the Akkadians

The Akkadian Empire existed from 2234-2154 B.C. under the leadership of the now-titled Sargon the Great. It was considered the world’s first multicultural empire with a central government.

Little is known of Sargon’s background, but legends give him a similar origin to the Biblical story of Moses. He was at one point an officer who worked for the king of Kish, and Akkadia was a city that Sargon himself established. When the city of Uruk invaded Kish, Sargon took Kish from Uruk and was encouraged to continue with conquest.

Sargon expanded his empire through military means, conquering all of Sumer and moving into what is now Syria. Under Sargon, trade beyond Mesopotamian borders grew, and architecture became more sophisticated, notably the appearance of ziggurats, flat-topped buildings with a pyramid shape and steps.

The final king of the Akkadian Empire, Shar-kali-sharri, died in 2193 B.C., and Mesopotamia went through a century of unrest, with different groups struggling for control.

Among these groups were the Gutian people, barbarians from the Zagros Mountains. The Gutian rule is considered a disorderly one that caused a severe downturn in the empire’s prospects.

In 2100 B.C. the city of Ur attempted to establish a dynasty for a new empire. The ruler of Ur-Namma, the king of the city of Ur, brought Sumerians back into control after Utu-hengal, the leader of the city of Uruk, defeated the Gutians.

Under Ur-Namma, the first code of law in recorded history, The Code of Ur-Nammu, appeared. Ur-Namma was attacked by both the Elamites and the Amorites and defeated in 2004 B.C.

The Babylonians

Choosing Babylon as the capital, the Amorites took control and established Babylonia .

Kings were considered deities and the most famous of these was Hammurabi , who ruled 1792–1750 B.C. Hammurabi worked to expand the empire, and the Babylonians were almost continually at war.

Hammurabi’s most famous contribution is his list of laws, better known as the Code of Hammurabi , devised around 1772 B.C.

Hammurabi’s innovation was not just writing down the laws for everyone to see, but making sure that everyone throughout the empire followed the same legal codes, and that governors in different areas did not enact their own. The list of laws also featured recommended punishments to ensure that every citizen had the right to the same justice.

In 1750 B.C. the Elamites conquered the city of Ur. Together with the control of the Amorites, this conquest marked the end of Sumerian culture.

The Hittites

The Hittites, who were centered around Anatolia and Syria, conquered the Babylonians around 1595 B.C.

Smelting was a significant contribution of the Hittites, allowing for more sophisticated weaponry that lead them to expand the empire even further. Their attempts to keep the technology to themselves eventually failed, and other empires became a match for them.

The Hittites pulled out shortly after sacking Babylon, and the Kassites took control of the city. Hailing from the mountains east of Mesopotamia, their period of rule saw immigrants from India and Europe arriving, and travel sped up thanks to the use of horses with chariots and carts.

The Kassites abandoned their own culture after a couple of generations of dominance, allowing themselves to be absorbed into Babylonian civilization.

The Assyrians

The Assyrian Empire under the leadership of Ashur-uballit I rose around 1365 B.C. in the areas between the lands controlled by the Hittites and the Kassites.

Around 1220 B.C., King Tukulti-Ninurta I aspired to rule all of Mesopotamia and seized Babylon. The Assyrian Empire continued to expand over the next two centuries, moving into modern-day Palestine and Syria.

Under the rule of Ashurnasirpal II in 884 B.C., the empire created a new capitol, Nimrud, built from the spoils of conquest and brutality that made Ashurnasirpal II a hated figure.

His son Shalmaneser spent the majority of his reign fighting off an alliance between Syria, Babylon and Egypt, and conquering Israel . One of his sons rebelled against him, and Shalmaneser sent another son, Shamshi-Adad, to fight for him. Three years later, Shamshi-Adad ruled.

A new dynasty began in 722 B.C. when Sargon II seized power. Modeling himself on Sargon the Great, he divided the empire into provinces and kept the peace.

His undoing came when the Chaldeans attempted to invade and Sargon II sought an alliance with them. The Chaldeans made a separate alliance with the Elamites, and together they took Babylonia.

Sargon II lost to the Chaldeans but switched to attacking Syria and parts of Egypt and Gaza, embarking on a spree of conquest before eventually dying in battle against the Cimmerians from Russia.

Sargon II’s grandson Esarhaddon ruled from 681 to 669 B.C. and went on a destructive campaign of conquest through Ethiopia, Palestine and Egypt, destroying cities he rampaged through after looting them. Esarhaddon struggled to rule his expanded empire. A paranoid leader, he suspected many in his court of conspiring against him and had them killed.

His son Ashurbanipal is considered to be the final great ruler of the Assyrian empire. Ruling from 669 to 627 B.C., he faced a rebellion in Egypt, losing the territory, and from his brother, the king of Babylonia, whom he defeated. Ashurbanipal is best remembered for creating Mesopotamia’s first library in what is now Nineveh, Iraq. It is the world’s oldest known library, predating the Library of Alexandria by several hundred years.

Nebuchadnezzar

In 626 B.C. the throne was seized by Babylonian public official Nabopolassar, ushering in the rule of the Semitic dynasty from Chaldea. In 616 B.C. Nabopolassar attempted to take Assyria but failed.

His son Nebuchadnezzar reigned over the Babylonian Empire following an invasion effort in 614 B.C. by King Cyaxares of Media that pushed the Assyrians further away.

Nebuchadnezzar is known for his ornate architecture, especially the Hanging Gardens of Babylon , the Walls of Babylon and the Ishtar Gate. Under his rule, women and men had equal rights.

Nebuchadnezzar is also responsible for the conquest of Jerusalem , which he destroyed in 586 B.C., taking its inhabitants into captivity. He appears in the Old Testament because of this action.

The Persian Empire

Persian Emperor Cyrus II seized power during the reign of Nabonidus in 539 B.C. Nabonidus was such an unpopular king that Mesopotamians did not rise to defend him during the invasion.

Babylonian culture is considered to have ended under Persian rule, following a slow decline of use in cuneiform and other cultural hallmarks.

By the time Alexander the Great conquered the Persian Empire in 331 B.C., most of the great cities of Mesopotamia no longer existed and the culture had been long overtaken. Eventually, the region was taken by the Romans in A.D. 116 and finally Arabic Muslims in A.D. 651.

Mesopotamian Gods

Mesopotamian religion was polytheistic, with followers worshipping several main gods and thousands of minor gods. The three main gods were Ea (Sumerian: Enki), the god of wisdom and magic, Anu (Sumerian: An), the sky god, and Enlil (Ellil), the god of earth, storms and agriculture and the controller of fates. Ea is the creator and protector of humanity in both the Epic of Gilgamesh and the story of the Great Flood. 

In the latter story, Ea made humans out of clay, but the God Enlil sought to destroy humanity by creating a flood. Ea had the humans build an ark and mankind was spared. If this story sounds familiar, it should; foundational Mesopotamian religious stories about the Garden of Eden, the Great Flood, and the Creation of the Tower of Babel found their way into the Bible, and the Mesopotamian religion influenced both Christianity and Islam.

Each Mesopotamian City had its own patron god or goddess, and most of what we know of them has been passed down through clay tablets describing Mesopotamian religious beliefs and practices. A painted terracotta plaque from 1775 B.C. gives an example of the sophistication of Babylonian art, portraying either the goddess Ishtar or her sister Ereshkigal, accompanied by night creatures.

Mesopotamian Art

While making art predates civilization in Mesopotamia, the innovations there include creating art on a larger scale, often in the context of their grandiose and complex architecture, and frequently employing metalwork.

One of the earliest examples of metalwork in art comes from southern Mesopotamia, a silver statuette of a kneeling bull from 3000 B.C. Before this, painted ceramics and limestone were the most common art forms.

Another metal-based work, a goat standing on its hind legs and leaning on the branches of a tree, featuring gold and copper along with other materials, was found in the Great Death Pit at Ur and dates to 2500 B.C.

Mesopotamian art often depicted its rulers and the glories of their lives. Also created around 2500 B.C. in Ur is the intricate Standard of Ur, a shell and limestone structure that features an early example of complex pictorial narrative, depicting a history of war and peace.

In 2230 B.C., Akkadian King Naram-Sin was the subject of an elaborate work in limestone that depicts a military victory in the Zagros Mountains and presents Naram-Sin as divine.

Among the most dynamic forms of Mesopotamian art are the reliefs of the Assyrian kings in their palaces, notably from Ashurbanipal’s reign around 635 B.C. One famous relief in his palace in Nimrud shows him leading an army into battle, accompanied by the winged god Assur.

Ashurbanipal is also featured in multiple reliefs that portray his frequent lion-hunting activity. An impressive lion image also figures into the Ishtar Gate in 585 B.C., during the reign of Nebuchadnezzar II and fashioned from glazed bricks.

Mesopotamian art returned to the public eye in the 21st century when museums in Iraq were looted during conflicts there. Many pieces went missing, including a 4,300-year-old bronze mask of an Akkadian king, jewelry from Ur, a solid gold Sumerian harp, 80,000 cuneiform tablets and numerous other irreplaceable items.

Babylon: Mesopotamia and the Birth of Civilization. Paul Kriwaczek . Ancient Mesopotamia. Leo Oppenheim . Ancient Mesopotamia: This History, Our History. University of Chicago . Mesopotamia 8000-2000 B.C. Metropolitan Museum of Art . 30,000 Years of Art. Editors at Phaidon . Ancient Mesopotamian Gods and Goddesses. UPenn.edu .

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Uncovering a 4,000-year-old mesopotamian boat.

Ancient boat uncovered from the ruins of Uruk

The Mesopotamian boat of Uruk during excavation. Courtesy German Archaeological Institute.

With archaeologists returning to Iraq, many finds are coming to light, including a 4,000-year-old Mesopotamian boat from the ancient Sumerian city of Uruk. According to a press release by the German Archaeological Institute , the boat was discovered largely intact by a joint German-Iraqi team. The Mesopotamian boat was constructed out of organic materials covered in bitumen, a substance made from crude oil and commonly used for waterproofing across Mesopotamia. This construction technique is similar to that used in the building of Noah’s ark (Genesis 6:14). Since the boat’s burial, however, the organic material has completely decomposed, leaving behind only the outer bitumen cover, which served to preserve the boat’s original shape and size.

FREE eBook: Life in the Ancient World . Craft centers in Jerusalem, family structure across Israel and ancient practices—from dining to makeup—through the Mediterranean world.

After uncovering the boat, the team set about photographing it and creating three-dimensional models using photogrammetry . The boat measures approximately 23 feet long and 4.5 feet wide. After preliminary studies, the team suggested that the Mesopotamian boat most likely became lodged in the loose soil of the Euphrates riverbank and, over time, was covered with silt and sediment. From the boat’s archaeological context, the team determined that it is likely around 4,000 years old, which would place it toward the end of the Ur III Period (c. 2112–2004 B.C.E.) or the beginning of the Isin-Larsa Period (c. 2004–1763 B.C.E.). Due to fear of additional damage, the team covered the boat in a clay and plaster shell before excavating it completely. The boat is expected to be brought to the Iraq Museum in Baghdad where it will be studied and displayed.

Aerial view showing the outline of the Uruk boat. Courtesy German Archaeological Institute.

Ancient Uruk

The Mesopotamian city of Uruk—Unug in Sumerian—was one of the oldest and most powerful cities in the land of Sumer (southern Iraq). Although in antiquity the city sat along the banks of the Euphrates River, Uruk is now covered in sand, the bed of the Euphrates having long ago shifted its course. The city rose to great power in the fourth millennium and, for a time, it was possibly the largest city in the ancient world. According to the Epic of Gilgamesh , Uruk was also the royal seat of the tale’s eponymous mythical king. As described in the epic (tablet 11), Gilgamesh met an immortal man named Utnapishtim, who had been instructed by the gods to build a giant circular boat to save himself from a flood that would be sent by the gods. In the 1800s, scholars proposed that Uruk could be the biblical city of Erech, the second city built by Nimrod in Genesis 10:10.

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The Rebirth of Archaeology in Iraq

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World History Edu

• Ancient Mesopotamia / World History

7 Major Mesopotamian Inventions

by World History Edu · June 14, 2019

The ancient Mesopotamian civilization brought forth groundbreaking inventions and discoveries which redefined their way of life. Even though their first settlements lived in primitive homes, the Mesopotamian people multiplied with time and crossed boundaries to create cities.  The following is a list of 7 major inventions we owe to the ingenuity of ancient Mesopotamian civilization.

The wheel, a key Mesopotamian invention. Image source: Linoit.com

Mesopotamians were the first humans to conceive and invent the wheel with the view to using it for transportation purposes. As early as 3500 BC, the circular structure was already in use. Historians believe that the oldest ancient wheel was found in 2002, in Ljubljana, the Slovenian capital town. Therefore, they named it the Ljubljana Marshes Wheel. The age of the wheel was estimated to be about 5000 years old.

When the wheel was invented to aid transportation purposes, it was only the wealthy people who could afford it. The wheels were not only used for transportation. They were also employed in irrigation, milling and making pots. The invention of the wheel went on to inspire Mesopotamians to develop new technologies such as the chariot.

The Chariot

An image of the Chariot, being attached to a horse. Image source: Busy.org

Agriculture became a profitable business which allowed Mesopotamians to rear and domesticate animals. When the domestication of animals became a success, Mesopotamians realized that animals could provide enough mechanical power to convey people and goods from place to place.

They invented the chariot (a carriage) to be used in conjunction with animal power. Bulls and horses were attached to the chariot by using ropes. When the animals are persuaded to move, the chariot is drawn along the path of the animals. This innovation changed the life of the Mesopotamian people; they had just discovered a more efficient way of transportation. The chariot was also used by Mesopotamians to do sporting activities and fight wars.

The first chariots built in 3200 BC, were designed out of wooden parts. The wheels, body, and rim were all carved out of wood. The animal-drawn chariots gave a wonderful riding experience to the Mesopotamian civilization. The wealthy people and royals (kings and queens) took comfortable rides in their chariots.

The chariot stayed in place until future generations got smarter and introduced motorized vehicles. Nevertheless, the contribution of Mesopotamian civilization to modern civilization can never be downplayed. Factually, one good thing leads to another.

The Sailboat

The invention of the sailboat enhanced trade across borders. Image source: Mesopotamianblue55

Ancient Mesopotamian engineers got more determined to break boundaries and make their lives easier and better. With the invention of the animal-drawn wheels and chariots, Mesopotamians could comfortably travel by land to farther places. How about water? The Sumerians wanted to move across rivers, seas, and other water bodies. Therefore, they invented sailboats to travel on water. They successfully invented the first sailboats which were powered and navigated by humans. The boats were used by Mesopotamians to explore and fish in the Tigris River and the Euphrates rivers. Once again, they had an awesome experience floating and moving through water.

The first boats were carved to have a square shape, with the sail made from a piece of cloth. This primitive boat relied on the direction of the wind before it could operate. Unfortunately, they couldn’t change their course without using a favorable wind direction. But the invention was still a game changer.

The Plow (plough)

The plow was invented to enhance agriculture. Image source: Artnet.com

Mesopotamians took much interest in agriculture. They sought ways to till their land and improve crop production. This was achieved by inventing devices which could be pulled through the soil, to break and loosen it. Mesopotamians realized that they could use animal power from cattle (oxen) to pull plows and loosen the soil. This marked the invention of the plow. They named the first plow as “Ard”. Even though the ard was wood-made, it was heavier in mass.

One other weak point of the plow: it could get stuck by debris which had to be timely removed with the hand. When used on harder and thickly grassed lands, the plow lacked enough power to move through the resistance. Despite the challenges faced by Mesopotamians in using the plow, the device still revamped their agriculture.

Time-Measuring Devices

Mesopotamians also manufactured instruments that could record the passage of time. They were even the first civilization to conceptualize time. The Mesopotamian civilization were the first people to break down units/divisions for time. Their time system gave us 60 seconds = 1 minute and 60 minutes = 1 hour. The Babylonian people did astronomical computations which were based on the number “60” (hesagesimal system). Babylonians inherited that system from the Sumerians. The reason for 60 being chosen was that it is a number which easily divides by 6.

5 Most Important Developments in Early Human History

Astronomy and Astrology

The Mesopotamian civilization were also the first people to observe heavenly bodies such as planets and stars. They used the movement of the stars to time their planting seasons. Mesopotamians grouped stars into constellations. They also tried to find a correlation between the movement of heavenly bodies and their effects on people’s lives (this was the foundation of Astrology). Modern Astronomy is now a scientific field which involves the study of celestial bodies in outer space (beyond the Earth’s atmosphere).

As Mesopotamian flourished in agriculture and commerce, it became necessary for them to record their trades and transactions. Aside from that, they needed to document their cultural values and store them for future generations. Mesopotamians solved a scripted communication problem, by inventing the first method of writing, known as cuneiform. Cuneiform was a pictorial form of writing – it wasn’t an easy thing to learn but it afforded Mesopotamians a means to record their own history.

Other social inventions of ancient Mesopotamia

The list of Mesopotamian inventions extends to many areas in science, mathematics, law, medicine, architecture and more. However, they also instituted laws and government systems which are still practiced by today’s society. For example, Mesopotamians instituted monarchies to rule their people. The Sumerians had kings who reigned over territories. They also proposed laws to punish unlawful people. In summary, ancient Mesopotamians were geniuses who introduced jaw-dropping innovations. Let’s give them the credit.

Tags: Ancient Culture invention of the wheel Mesopotamian inventions the chariot

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Fast Facts About Mesopotamia

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History books call the land now called Iraq "Mesopotamia". The word does not refer to one specific ancient country, but an area that included various, changing nations in the ancient world.

Fast Facts About Mesopotamia - Modern Iraq

Meaning of mesopotamia.

Mesopotamia means the land between the rivers. ( Hippopotamus —river horse—contains the same word for river potam- ). A body of water in some form or other is essential to life, so an area boasting of two rivers would be doubly blessed. The area on each side of these rivers was fertile, although the larger, general area was not. The ancient residents developed irrigation techniques to take advantage of their value, but a very limited natural resource. Over time, irrigation methods changed the riverside landscape.

Location of the 2 Rivers

The two rivers of Mesopotamia are the Tigris and the Euphrates (Dijla and Furat, in Arabic). The Euphrates is the one on the left (west) in maps and the Tigris is the one closer to Iran -- to the east of modern Iraq. Today, the Tigris and Euphrates join up in the south to flow into the Persian Gulf.

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Location of Major Mesopotamian Cities

Baghdad is by the Tigris River in the middle of Iraq.

Babylon , the capital of the ancient Mesopotamian country of Babylonia, was built along the Euphrates River.

Nippur , an important Babylonian city dedicated to the god Enlil, was located about 100 miles south of Babylon.

The Tigris and Euphrates Rivers meet somewhat north of the modern city of Basra and flow into the Persian Gulf.

Iraq Land Boundaries:

total: 3,650 km

Border countries:

• Iran 1,458 km,
• Jordan 181 km
• Kuwait 240 km
• Saudi Arabia 814 km
• Syria 605 km
• Turkey 352 km

Map courtesy of CIA Sourcebook.

Invention of Writing

The earliest use of written language on our planet began in what is today Iraq long before the Mesopotamian urban cities developed. Clay tokens , lumps of clay shaped in different forms, were used to assist trade perhaps as early as 7500 BCE. By 4000 BCE, urban cities had blossomed and as a result, those tokens became much more varied and complex.

About 3200 BCE, trade extended long outside of Mesopotamia's political borders, and Mesopotamians started placing the tokens into clay pockets called bullae and sealing them shut, so that recipients could be certain that they got what they ordered. Some of the merchants and accountants pressed the token shapes into the outer layer of the bullae and eventually drew shapes with a pointed stick. Scholars call this early language proto-cuneiform and it is a symbology—the language still didn't represent a particular spoken language so much as simple drawings representing trade goods or labor.

Full-fledged writing, called cuneiform , was invented in Mesopotamia around 3000 BCE, to record dynastic history and to tell myths and legends.

Mesopotamian Money

Mesopotamians used several types of money—that is to say, a medium of exchange used to facilitate trade—beginning in the third millennium BCE, by which date Mesopotamia was already involved in an extensive trade network . Mass-produced coins were not used in Mesopotamia, but Mesopotamian words such as minas and shekels which do refer to coins in Middle Eastern coinage and in the Judeo-Christian Bible are Mesopotamian terms referring to weights (values) of the various forms of money.

In order from least valuable to most, the money of ancient Mesopotamia was

• lead (especially in northern Mesopotamia [Assyria]),
• copper or bronze,

Barley and silver were the dominant forms, which were used as common denominators of value. Barley, however, was difficult to transport and varied more in value across distances and time, and so was used mainly for local trade. Interest rates on loans of barley were substantially higher than on silver: 33.3% vs 20%, according to Hudson.

• Powell MA. 1996. Money in Mesopotamia. Journal of the Economic and Social History of the Orient 39(3):224-242.

Reed Boats and Water Control

Another development by the Mesopotamians in support of their massive trade network was the invention of deliberately constructed reed boats , cargo ships made of reeds that were made waterproof with the use of bitumen. The first reed boats are known from the early Neolithic Ubaid period of Mesopotamia, about 5500 BCE.

Beginning about 2.700 years ago, the Mesopotamian king Sennacherib built the first known stone masonry aqueduct at Jerwan , believed to be a result of dealing with the intermittent and irregular flows of the Tigris river. 

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The Significance of Sail Technology for Mesopotamians: An Impactful Analysis

Alex Morgan

The sail is an invention that revolutionized maritime activities and had a profound impact on civilizations throughout history. In the context of Mesopotamia, one of the cradles of civilization, the sail played a significant role in shaping their society and advancing their achievements. Understanding the sail’s introduction and impact on the Mesopotamians provides valuable insights into their culture and the development of early maritime activities.

Mesopotamia, located in present-day Iraq, was home to a remarkable civilization that thrived between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. Known for their advancements in agriculture, architecture, and governance, the Mesopotamians were also pioneers in maritime activities. They utilized the abundant waterways for trade, transportation, and exploration, making them a highly influential civilization of their time.

It was during these early maritime activities that the sail emerged as a game-changer for the Mesopotamians. Historians and archaeologists have studied the development of the sail, providing insights into how it was invented and how it influenced their society. The sail allowed Mesopotamian boats to harness the power of the wind and navigate the waterways more efficiently, leading to significant advancements in trade and transportation.

The Mesopotamians were skilled in shipbuilding and devised innovative sail designs. Their sails were made from woven fibers or reeds and had distinct features that differentiated them from other ancient civilizations. These features, such as the square shape and the use of ropes and rigging, made their sails highly effective in capturing wind and propelling their vessels forward.

The impact of the sail on Mesopotamian society was far-reaching. It revolutionized trade and transportation within the region. With the ability to transport goods more quickly and efficiently, trade flourished and facilitated cultural exchange. The sail influenced military strategies and warfare by enabling the transportation of troops and resources across water bodies, giving the Mesopotamians a tactical advantage.

The sail played a crucial role in exploration and expansion. By harnessing the power of the wind, the Mesopotamians were able to venture beyond their immediate surroundings, expanding their knowledge, resources, and influence. This exploration laid the foundation for future civilizations and shaped the course of history.

The legacy of the Mesopotamian sail extends beyond their civilization. Their innovations influenced later civilizations and maritime practices, leaving a lasting impact on the development of navigation, shipbuilding, and trade. The Mesopotamians’ use of the sail continued to evolve and innovate over time, with new designs and techniques being introduced by subsequent cultures.

Key takeaway:

• The sail revolutionized maritime activities: The development of the sail by the Mesopotamians greatly facilitated trade, transportation, and exploration. It allowed for faster and more efficient navigation on both rivers and open seas, leading to advancements in commerce and cultural exchange.
• The sail transformed military strategies and warfare: The use of sails in naval warfare provided the Mesopotamians with a significant advantage. It enabled them to build larger and more powerful ships, enhancing their military capabilities and expanding their influence in the region.
• The sail’s legacy and impact on civilization: The Mesopotamian sail served as a foundation for later civilizations’ maritime advancements. Its design and principles continued to evolve and innovate, shaping the future of naval technology and fostering global connectivity.

Overview of Mesopotamian Civilization

The Mesopotamian civilization , also known as the cradle of civilization , was one of the earliest and most influential in human history. Let me provide you with an overview of this remarkable civilization.

Location: Mesopotamia , which is present-day Iraq and parts of Syria , Turkey , and Iran , was the geographical area where the Mesopotamian civilization thrived.

Time Period: From approximately 3500 BCE to 539 BCE, the Mesopotamian civilization experienced its golden age.

Rivers: Mesopotamia was situated between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, which played a crucial role in providing water for both farming and transportation purposes.

City-States: This region of Mesopotamia was divided into various city-states , each having its own ruler and government structure.

Agriculture: The Mesopotamians employed advanced irrigation systems to cultivate crops such as barley , wheat , and dates , making agriculture a vital part of their economy.

Cuneiform Writing: Mesopotamians are credited with inventing writing using wedge-shaped symbols inscribed on clay tablets, a writing system known as cuneiform .

Advancements: Throughout their civilization, the Mesopotamians made significant contributions to various fields like mathematics , astronomy , and architecture .

Fun fact: It is interesting to note that the Mesopotamians constructed one of the world’s earliest-known empires, the Akkadian Empire , which Sargon of Akkad established in the 24th century BCE.

What Were the Major Achievements of the Mesopotamians?

The Mesopotamians achieved significant milestones in multiple areas including law, architecture, writing, mathematics, astronomy, and agriculture, which left a profound impact on these fields.

1. Legal Code: One of their notable accomplishments was the creation of the Code of Hammurabi , which can be considered one of the earliest legal codes. This influential code established laws and punishments for various offenses, aiming to promote fairness and justice.

2. Architectural Innovations: The Mesopotamians exhibited their engineering expertise by developing advanced techniques, such as the construction of ziggurats , temples, and the utilization of arches and columns . These innovative architectural practices laid the groundwork for future styles and designs.

3. Cuneiform Writing: Another remarkable feat achieved by the Mesopotamians was the invention of cuneiform , one of the earliest writing systems known to mankind. This influential development allowed them to record essential information, including laws, literature, and historical events, to be preserved for future generations.

4. Mathematics and Astronomy: The Mesopotamians made noteworthy progress in the field of mathematics by developing a positional numeral system and solving intricate problems. Their keen interest in stars and planets contributed significantly to the advancement of astronomy.

5. Irrigation and Agriculture: The Mesopotamians excelled in the cultivation of crops in arid regions through the development of sophisticated irrigation systems. Their construction of canals and levees enabled them to efficiently control water flow, ultimately leading to enhanced agricultural productivity and the growth of civilization.

The achievements of the Mesopotamians encompassed various domains and continue to shape our understanding of ancient civilizations.

Early Maritime Activities of the Mesopotamians

Early maritime activities played a crucial role in the development and prosperity of the Mesopotamians. As skilled navigators, they utilized the Tigris and Euphrates rivers to engage in trade and exploration.

Trade was a significant aspect of the Mesopotamians’ maritime endeavors. They established a network of trade routes and relied on boats to transport commodities such as timber, metals, and agricultural products. This stimulated their economy and contributed to their overall prosperity.

Through advanced sailing techniques, the Mesopotamians embarked on voyages into the Persian Gulf and beyond, engaging in exploration. This not only allowed them to discover new territories but also enabled them to form trade connections with other civilizations. The exchange of knowledge, ideas, and cultural practices that resulted from these interactions fostered innovation and intellectual growth among the Mesopotamians.

Maritime activities also facilitated communication for the Mesopotamians. They were able to maintain contact with neighboring regions and distant lands, facilitating cultural exchanges and diplomatic relations. The interconnected network of maritime trade and exploration played a vital role in shaping their society.

Navigating and controlling the waters provided the Mesopotamians with a strategic advantage in terms of defense and security. This ability to safeguard their cities and territories instilled a sense of security and stability among the Mesopotamian civilization.

In addition, fishing was an essential aspect of the Mesopotamians’ reliance on maritime activities for sustenance and livelihood. Their expertise in fishing techniques, such as using nets and traps, enabled them to exploit aquatic resources effectively.

To gain a deeper understanding of the Mesopotamians’ use of maritime activities, it is recommended to conduct further research into archaeological findings, ancient texts, and historical accounts. This comprehensive approach will provide valuable insights into their maritime endeavors and their profound impact on the ancient world.

The Emergence of the Sail

The sail revolutionized maritime transportation for the Mesopotamians. The Emergence of the Sail developed the sail to navigate rivers and conquer long-distance voyages. The sail harnessed the wind’s power, enabling faster and more efficient travel. With the sail, Mesopotamian sailors could explore distant lands. The Emergence of the Sail emerged early in Mesopotamian civilization and became an essential tool for trade and exploration. It allowed the Mesopotamians to establish trade networks and exchange goods and ideas with distant cultures. The Emergence of the Sail also played a crucial role in the Mesopotamians’ military expansion, enhancing their ability to conquer new territories. The Emergence of the Sail transformed the Mesopotamians into a seafaring civilization, creating new opportunities for economic growth and cultural exchange.

How Did the Mesopotamians Develop the Sail?

The Mesopotamians developed the sail by observing wind patterns and experimenting with different sail designs. They found that triangular-shaped sails were more effective than rectangular ones. To create the sail, they used materials such as reeds and cloth, weaving them together to form a strong and flexible sail . The size of the sail varied depending on the boat’s size and purpose .

The sail revolutionized maritime activities for the Mesopotamians. It allowed them to navigate rivers and seas more efficiently, expanding trade networks and facilitating the transportation of goods . The sail also played a crucial role in military strategies and warfare , enabling faster movements and naval battles .

The Mesopotamians’ sail design and knowledge influenced later civilizations’ maritime developments. The sail continued to evolve, leading to advancements in shipbuilding and navigation techniques .

Fact : The sail was a key invention of the Mesopotamians, contributing to their status as pioneers in ancient civilizations .

What Were the Key Features of the Mesopotamian Sail?

The Mesopotamian sail had a triangular shape , made of woven reeds , and could be adjusted to catch the wind from different directions. It came in different sizes and was efficient in light winds . The sail could be easily folded or stored when not in use. These features allowed the Mesopotamians to navigate their waters effectively for trade, exploration, and civilization expansion .

What were the key features of the Mesopotamian sail?

Impact of the Sail on Mesopotamian Society

The sail had a profound impact on the Mesopotamian society, shaping their trade, military strategies, and exploration. It revolutionized trade networks, enabling the Mesopotamians to expand their commerce beyond their borders. In warfare, the sail brought a significant tactical advantage , altering battle strategies and naval warfare forever. The sail opened up new horizons for exploration and expansion, allowing the Mesopotamians to venture into uncharted territories and discover new resources. Its influence on Mesopotamian society was truly transformative.

Advancements in Trade and Transportation

Trade and transportation in Mesopotamia improved significantly with the introduction of the sail. The sail revolutionized the transport of goods, leading to increased trade and economic growth.

1. Expanded trade routes: The sail allowed Mesopotamian traders to venture further and establish trade routes with distant regions. This led to the exchange of goods such as textiles, metals, and agricultural products, boosting economic prosperity.

2. Faster and more efficient transportation: The sail enabled faster and more efficient transport of goods using wind power. This reduced transportation time and increased the volume of goods available for trade.

3. Development of large-scale merchant ships: With the sail, Mesopotamians could build larger ships capable of carrying more cargo. This further stimulated trade and contributed to the growth of their civilization.

4. Cultural exchange and diversity: The advancements in trade and transportation facilitated cultural exchange between Mesopotamians and other civilizations. This led to the introduction of new ideas, technologies, and products, enriching their society and fostering cultural diversity.

5. Economic growth and prosperity: The sail played a vital role in the economic growth and prosperity of Mesopotamia. The increased trade and transportation enabled by the sail boosted the Mesopotamian economy, creating new opportunities for wealth accumulation and enhancing their standard of living.

Pro-tip: Consider factors such as distance, speed, cargo capacity, cultural exchange, and economic impact when choosing keywords for trade and transportation.

Influence on Military Strategies and Warfare

The Mesopotamian sail had a profound impact on military strategies and warfare in ancient times. The introduction of sails revolutionized naval warfare and bestowed a significant advantage upon the Mesopotamians.

To begin with, the sails enhanced their maritime mobility , enabling them to navigate and sail with greater efficiency. This allowed for the swift deployment of naval forces to various regions, granting them a strategic upper hand over their adversaries.

The sails facilitated long-distance naval expeditions , affording the Mesopotamians the opportunity to undertake military campaigns far from their homeland. This endowed them with the capability to project power and extend their influence over expansive territories.

The sails empowered the Mesopotamians to effectively implement naval blockades . By utilizing sailing vessels, they were able to control and disrupt enemy trade routes, severing supply lines and economically weakening their opponents.

The sails provided a more efficient means of transporting troops and supplies . This enabled them to rapidly mobilize forces and execute surprise attacks on enemy territories.

The Mesopotamian sail exerted a tremendous influence on military strategies and warfare, revolutionizing naval operations and yielding advantageous outcomes for the Mesopotamians.

Effects on Exploration and Expansion

The sail had a significant effect on the exploration and expansion of the Mesopotamians. It allowed them to effortlessly navigate rivers and open waters, opening up new opportunities for exploration and trade. With the sail , Mesopotamian sailors were able to venture to distant lands, discovering new territories, valuable resources, and potential trading partners. This broadened their commercial networks and stimulated flourishing trade.

Not only that, the sail played a crucial role in the expansion of the Mesopotamian empire. It provided enhanced mobility and speed for transporting troops, supplies, and equipment, empowering the Mesopotamians to conquer and govern far-off regions, thus extending their influence and dominance.

The sail facilitated cultural exchange and the dissemination of Mesopotamian ideas, technology, and knowledge. Through maritime expeditions, the Mesopotamians interacted with different civilizations, exchanging and acquiring new information, techniques, and practices.

The impact of the sail on exploration and expansion extended beyond the Mesopotamians. The sailing technology advancements pioneered by them influenced later civilizations, enabling further maritime exploration and expansion throughout history.

The Legacy of the Mesopotamian Sail

The legacy of the Mesopotamian sail is truly remarkable , leaving an indelible mark on future civilizations. From its influence on later cultures to its continued evolution and innovation, this section dives into the fascinating impact of the Mesopotamian sail . Discover how this ancient invention shaped the course of maritime history, introducing new possibilities and paving the way for future seafaring advancements. Prepare to be awed by the enduring significance of the Mesopotamian sail throughout the ages.

Influence on Later Civilizations

The sail had a profound influence on later civilizations. The Mesopotamians’ development of the sail led to significant advancements in maritime technology and the exploration and expansion of various civilizations.

Other ancient societies, such as the Egyptians and Greeks , were inspired by the Mesopotamians’ innovative use of the sail and adopted and improved upon this technology. The sail became a crucial component of their naval fleets , enabling long-distance trade voyages and the establishment of prosperous trading networks. This enhanced cultural exchange and economic growth among these civilizations.

The sail also played a pivotal role in military strategies and warfare, providing greater maneuverability and speed in battles at sea. This naval power influenced the outcomes of wars and conquests, shaping the course of history for many civilizations.

The sail fostered exploration and expansion by allowing ancient civilizations to navigate vast bodies of water and expand their geographical knowledge. This led to the discovery of new lands , resources , and cultures , promoting cross-cultural exchange and influencing the development of societies in distant regions.

The sail’s influence on later civilizations can still be observed today. Its innovative design and functionality paved the way for continued evolution and innovation in maritime technology throughout history. Without the sail, the world as we know it would be very different.

Continued Evolution and Innovation

The Mesopotamian sail had a profound impact on civilization, fostering continued evolution and innovation. The Mesopotamians constantly improved their sail designs, utilizing various materials and shapes to create more efficient and adaptable sails. This evolution of the sail expanded the sailing capabilities of the Mesopotamians, enabling them to explore further at sea, discover new territories, and expand their trade networks.

The enhanced sails also facilitated faster and safer maritime transportation, promoting the exchange of goods, ideas, and cultures between different regions. The development of the sail prompted the Mesopotamians to invent other naval technologies like the rudder and navigation tools , further advancing their maritime abilities. The Mesopotamian sail served as a foundation for future civilizations to develop their own sailing technologies and engage in maritime exploration, playing a crucial role in the later age of exploration.

It is noteworthy that the Mesopotamians are estimated to have invented the sail around 5500 BCE, making it one of the earliest technological innovations in human history.

Some Facts About How Did The Sail Impact The Mesopotamians:

• ✅ The sailboat revolutionized trade and travel for the Mesopotamians. (Source: https://sites.google.com/a/brvgs.k12.va.us/wh-14-sem-1-mespotamia-ogm/sailboat)
• ✅ Mesopotamians relied on sailboats for efficient transportation of goods and people. (Source: https://www.brighthubengineering.com/marine-history/78133-the-sailboats-of-ancient-mesopotamia/)
• ✅ The invention of sailboats facilitated the exchange of goods between Mesopotamia and other regions. (Source: https://www.theclassroom.com/use-sail-ancient-mesopotamia-10077.html)
• ✅ Sailboats played a crucial role in the military tactics and planning of the Mesopotamians. (Source: https://sites.google.com/a/brvgs.k12.va.us/wh-14-sem-1-mespotamia-ogm/sailboat)
• ✅ The sailboat invention contributed to the overall development of human civilization through its impact on trade, travel, and warfare. (Source: Our Team)

Frequently Asked Questions

1. how did the sumerians invent the sailboat.

The Sumerians invented the sailboat by using bundles of papyrus and wood, with linen sails in a square shape. They designed it to be lightweight for easy transportation between land and sea.

2. What was the significance of the sailboat for the Mesopotamians?

The sailboat had a significant impact on trade, travel, and war for the Mesopotamians. It facilitated the exchange of goods, helped Mesopotamians access food and goods from other regions, and introduced the concept of trade over water and naval battles to later civilizations.

3. How did the sailboat revolutionize water travel?

The sailboat revolutionized water travel by providing a more efficient and effective means of transportation. It allowed Mesopotamians to transport goods and people more efficiently, navigate through rough waters, and conduct tactical maneuvering in battle.

4. How did the sailboat impact warfare for the Mesopotamians?

The sailboat had a significant impact on warfare for the Mesopotamians. They added raised sides for protection, platforms for archers to shoot more accurately, and even battering rams for smashing through enemy ships. The sailboat invention revolutionized military tactics and planning.

5. How did the sailboat contribute to the Mesopotamian economy?

The sailboat contributed to the Mesopotamian economy by facilitating trade relationships with nearby cities and countries. It enabled the transportation of various trade goods such as wool, cloth, jewels, oil, and wine along the extensive trade routes along the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.

6. What was the lasting impact of the Mesopotamian sailboat invention?

The Mesopotamian sailboat invention had a lasting impact on the development of human civilization. The sailboat’s basic design, with square sails and a wooden hull, remained unchanged for a long time and served as the basis for future sailboats. It revolutionized water travel, paved the way for world trade, and contributed to the advancement of navigation and naval technologies.

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Sumerians are believed to have invented the wheel. The three great contributions of the Mesopotamian civilisation to the world are the Sailboats, the system of cuneiform writing and the wheel. Wheel was a significant invention as it revolutionised the system of transportation and thereby communication. The origin of wheel can be traced back to 3500 BC. The first model of a wheel is that of one made of planks of wood joined together. Rollers were placed beneath heavy objects so that heavy objects could be moved easily. Subsequently the sledge was invented. Then the roller and the sledge were combined. Finally, holes for the axle were drilled through the frame of the cart. Axle and wheels were now made separately. In the Sumerian age, wheels were connected to the chariots. The first wheels were made from clay, mud and rock. It is said that wheel originated from the observation that log rollers with worn down centres were easier to use. Wheels were used to make carts and wagons. There were also pottery wheels. Wheels were also used as toys, weapons, tools etc. Early Mesopotamian chariots and wagons usually included a primitive set of four wheels and two axles. The Egyptians modified the wheel later on.

Top 11 Inventions and Discoveries of Mesopotamia

The cradle of civilization, Mesopotamia, was the birthplace of many valuable inventions and discoveries. It was here that agriculture began. Irrigation and farming were commonplace in this area because of the fertile land between the Euphrates and Tigris rivers.

The invention of agriculture made it possible for humans to stay in the same place for a longer period of time without depending on hunting.

The earliest form of writing was invented in Mesopotamia as were the first means of transportation: the chariot and the sailboat. Most innovative ideas that we take for granted today were invented or discovered in Mesopotamia .

Here are the top 11 inventions and discoveries of ancient Mesopotamia :

11. The Wheel

The first wheel wasn’t used for transportation. The wheel was first invented as a potter’s wheel and was believed to have existed around 3500 BC.

Even though the wheel is believed to have first existed in ancient Mesopotamia, the oldest wheel named the Ljubljana Marshes Wheel was discovered in Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia, in 2002 and dates back 5,150 years.

The wheel was used as a luxurious form of transportation for the wealthy, but was also used for irrigation, pottery making, and milling. The invention of the chariot and other important innovations in history were based on the invention of the wheel.

10. The Chariot

Over time, humans learned to domesticate horses, bulls, and other useful animals and the invention of the chariot or carriage followed on from their domestication.

The chariot was the first means of personal transportation, and has been used for years in warfare, sport, and for general use. The structure of the earliest chariots was from light wood with a bentwood rim.

The first chariot appeared around 3200 BC in Mesopotamia and was adopted by almost every civilization until motorized transportation came into existence. Chariots were mainly used for personal transportation by royalty and the wealthy.

9. The Sailboat

Transportation by land was difficult and took an enormous amount of time. The Sumerians realized that transportation via sea would be a lot easier and more convenient. The first boat was invented and used on rivers and needed to be navigated by humans.

The first sailboat was a simple, primitive design and aided in trade and commerce. It was initially used to cross the Tigris and Euphrates rivers for fishing and to explore other areas.

The primitive sailboat was square in shape and the sail was made of cloth. The direction of the sailboat couldn’t be changed. If the wind didn’t blow in the direction they wanted to go, they had to wait for the wind to change in their favor.

8. The Plow

Humans learned to domesticate animals and use them to make daily life easier. In Mesopotamia, man first harnessed the ox and developed the first plow called the “ard.” The earliest plow was made of wood and was very heavy.

The major problem with the plow was that the dirt would stick to it and needed to be removed manually. It also did not work in thick grass. The invention of the plow in Mesopotamia helped the hunter-gatherer groups to stay in the same place and use agriculture for food rather than hunting.

The Mesopotamians developed the concept of time, dividing time units into 60 parts, which eventually led to 60-second minutes and 60-minute hours.

The Babylonians made an astronomical calculation in the base 60 system inherited from the Sumerians. The number 60 was chosen because it was easily divisible by six.

6. Astronomy and Astrology

The concept of astrology was developed during the Sumerian period when even everyday incidents had a spiritual meaning. It was believed that every good or bad thing happened for a reason.

Ancient astrologers observed the location of the planets and advised people in high social or political positions according to these observations. Astronomical mythology, like the concepts of the constellations such as Capricorn, Leo, and Sagittarius, was handed down to the Greeks by the Sumerians and Babylonians and is still in use today.

The constellations were also used in day-to-day activities. They were relied upon to mark the seasons for harvesting or sowing crops. They also mapped the movement of the sky, the sun, the stars, and the moon, and were used to predict celestial events like eclipses.

The oldest map was discovered in Babylonia around 2300 BC. Ancient cartography used in Babylonia were simple sketches on clay tablets. One clay map discovered in Mesopotamia illustrates the Akkadian region of Mesopotamia (present-day northern Iraq). It covers a small area and was mostly used as a city map for military campaigns, hunting, and trading.

Even though the map was first invented in Mesopotamia, Greek and Roman cartography became more advanced and the concept of a spherical earth developed by the Greek philosophers in 350 BC allowed geographers to develop the map further.

4. Mathematics

When the civilization began to flourish, people started to trade and they needed an accurate system to count the goods that they gave and received. The Sumerians were the first people on earth to develop the concept of counting.

They also developed the sexagesimal system, or base 60. The sexagesimal system helped to develop concepts like the 360-degree circle and the 12-month year. They used 12 knuckles to count on one hand and another five fingers on the other hand. The Babylonians used base 6 (our modern system uses base 10), where digits in the left column represent large values.

The concept of zero was developed by the Babylonians. People understood the value of having nothing, but the concept of numerical zero wasn’t invented before then. Many scholars believed that the concept of zero was developed by the Babylonians and followed and adapted by various civilizations throughout the world. Some also argue it was originally invented in India.

3. Urban Civilization

Often known as the cradle of civilization, Mesopotamian developed the concept of urbanization. For the first time in a history, humans started to settle in a specific place. The invention of agriculture made it possible to feed more people and animals living in a single location. People learned to trade, and the concept of taxes was developed.

Mesopotamia emerged as one of the first cities of the world to be built with sun-dried bricks. The urbanization in Mesopotamia started in the Uruk period (4300–3100 BC) and the largest settlement in the history of mankind ever to be built was done so using monumental mud-brick buildings around 3200 BC. The city was surrounded by huge walls built by King Gilgamesh.

2. The First Form of Writing: Cuneiform

The Sumerians developed the first form of writing called “cuneiform” to maintain business records. It was mostly used in trade, where merchants recorded information such as the amount of grain traded. The Mesopotamians also used writing to record daily events like astronomy.

Cuneiform evolved as a simple pictograph. For instance, the pictograph for a horse might be a small image of a horse. The writer had to drag the tip of a stylus across wet clay to create a shape. It was hard to remember every character and it would take 12 years for a person to learn to write in cuneiform.

The symbols were reduced to 600 words by 2900 BC and scribes (people who were hired to write) eventually changed the writing from a drawn image to a stamp or imprint using a reed stylus with a wedge-shaped tip. Cuneiform script was used by the Assyrians, Elamites, Hittites, Babylonians, and Akkadians for about 3,000 years.

1. Agriculture and Irrigation

Ancient Mesopotamian farmers cultivated wheat, barley, cucumbers, and other different foods and vegetables. They used stone hoes to plow the ground before the invention of the plow.

The Tigris and the Euphrates rivers that surrounded Mesopotamia made irrigation and farming a lot easier and more convenient. The Mesopotamians learned to control the flow of water from the river and used it to irrigate crops. During the main growing season, the flow of water was properly regulated. Each farmer was allowed a certain amount of water which was diverted from a canal into an irrigation ditch.

Most of the inventions and discoveries of the ancient Mesopotamians became more advanced in later civilizations. However, Mesopotamian inventions led to very basic things that were needed for humans to settle in a group such as writing, agriculture, and urban civilization.

Learn the inventions of other civilizations:

• Top 10 Ancient Roman Inventions
• Top 10 Inventions and Discoveries of Ancient Greece
• Top 18 Ancient Chinese Inventions and Discoveries
• Top 10 Inventions of the Mayan Civilization
• Top 10 Inventions and Discoveries of Ancient Egypt

Related posts:

• Top 12 Inventions and Discoveries of Ancient Babylonia
• Top 15 Most Important Events in Ancient Mesopotamia
• Top 12 Fascinating Facts about Ancient Mesopotamia
• Top 10 Sumerian Inventions and Discoveries

15 thoughts on “Top 11 Inventions and Discoveries of Mesopotamia”

What the flop are you talking about? This is a great website with tons of fantastic information. Which website are YOU looking at?

If yll think this was the oldest then who built the Aztec lines in Peru and the place named Puma Punku, The sphinx was not built by the Egyptians, where did the knowledge to build the pyramids come from?

The Egyptians were founded around 3100 BC, the Aztec lines or Nazca Lines in Peru were created c. 500 BCE to 500 CE and Puma Punku was built around 536 CE or later. The Mesopotamians (if we’re including the Sumerians) were founded in the 6th Millennium BCE, at least 3000 years before the Egyptians, and 5000 years before the Nazca Lines and the Puma Punku. For your latter question, I’ll let you google it and discover for yourself. If you’re interested on Mesopotamia, I recommend reading “Handbook to Life in Ancient Mesopotamia” by Stephen Bertman or some of Dr Samuel Kramer’s published works.

Excellent answer, thank you very much. Far more patient answer than an old one such as my I might supply. Sorry, got to get back to my stylus, those wet clay tablets won’t mark their selves.

Bruh its still technically counts in the history of the Sumerians

Can you please put what the inventions are being used for today? I have to do this poster, and it says you have to put what is it used for today, or what is used in its place.

Wheels are being used today for cars, water, milling, making flour(I think) and toys. Sailboats, are, well sailboats. There are some things for you. Hope I helped. :-)

Wow! That’s what I’m doing today too! Hopefully, it’s not too late :/

Sumerians used writing to keep track of data just like we do today. But of course, we also use writing when it comes to sending messages or something else! (They probably did too- Just not with electronics, they used tablets instead.) Plows are something that a TON of farmers in the world use the plow to loosen their soil. Sumerian farmers did too! ( Sumerians domesticated ‘bigger’ animals to tow/use the plow. It wouldn’t be really possible for something like a cat to carry a huge plow on it’s back. {The plow would have to be smaller}) Riding a canoe on the rivers was faster than by wagons, chariots, or any land transportation. So the Sumerians decided to invent ‘their own boat’, a different one… One that you can use on the ocean! They tried different ideas. And then they found the right one. It’s now called the “SailBoat”. Many people use it today! It’s mainly used for catching fish, or transportation, thanks to the “flag” that makes the journey calm.

( It’s probably too late…”

what did they use the pulley system for

This was a very helpful artical, but I just cant find where it mentions the pulley system.

The first written record of pulleys dates to the Sumerians of Mesopotamia in 1500 BCE, where ancient peoples were using ropes and pulleys for hoisting. That is, they used pulleys for pulling and lifting things.

They used rope pulleys for hoisting water. A pulley system makes it easier to lift an object than lifting the dead weight by hand. A single pulley essentially changes the direction of the pull or force applied.

I couldn’t find irrigation in here. Can you add it please?

Invention number 8 The Plow: Believe it or not – this invention is still being used in India, Pakistan and may be many other countries – IN THE SAME FORM OR SLIGHTLY MODIFIED FORM. I have used that Plow in that shape with Oxen in 1960s and 1970s!! It is amazing how long some inventions can survive. It also might prove another fact that lot of North Indians (so called Aryans) were actually driven out or migrated out of Mesopotemia thousands of years ago.

I believe that to state that things were invented in one area of the world is not correct anymore. The Mayan were also using the zero independently with out the influence of the Mesopotamians. Who knows what lies hidden under the oceans and the ice.

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4,000-Year-Old Mesopotamian Boat Near Uruk Rescued

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4,000 years ago, a boat sank onto the bed of a channel of the Euphrates River, near the ancient city of Uruk. Now, archaeologists working in modern-day southern Iraq have been forced to conduct an emergency rescue excavation in order to protect its remains.

Discovering a Mesopotamian Boat in the Desert

The team of Iraqi-German archaeologists, from both the Orient Department of the German Archaeological Institute and the Iraqi German Mission of the State Board of Antiquities discovered the boat during documentation of the buffer zone surrounding the ruins of Uruk, also known as Warka in Arabic, back in 2018.

The boat was originally made out of palm leaves, wood and reed. It was then covered in bitumen , also known as tar or asphaltum, a semi-solid kind of petroleum which was used in Mesopotamia in the construction of buildings and for waterproofing reed boats. According to ThoughtCo . “ bitumen is a “naturally-occurring organic byproduct of decomposed plants” which humans have used for at least 40,000 years.

• The Great City of Uruk Became Sumerian Powerhouse of Technology, Architecture and Culture
• The White Temple and the Great Ziggurat in the Mesopotamian City of Uruk

A reconstruction of how an ancient Mesopotamian city could have looked. ( Jeff Brown Graphics )

At the time of discovery, the ancient Mesopotamian boat was photogrammetrically documented. However, being located near road traffic, the team decided that it was imperative to conduct an archaeological rescue mission to ensure the preservation of these unique remains. The boat was 7 meters (23 ft) long and 1.4 meters (4.59 ft) wide, and was buried in sediment after it sank to the bottom of the river 4,000 years ago.

The remains are particularly fragile, although surprisingly well-preserved, even though they had been partially exposed over recent years and were visible above ground. The organic remains, as in the palm leaves, wood and reed, have decomposed over time, but their imprint is still visible today within the bitumen. Arkeonews reported that during the excavations, “the top of the boat was covered with clay and plaster shell to stabilize it, and thus it was possible to save the entire boat .”

Ancient Mesopotamian boat structure visible from above. (Mayssoun Iss / Deutsches Archäologisches Institut )

What’s a Boat Doing in the Middle of the Desert?

It may not look like it today, but Uruk was once the largest human settlement in southern Mesopotamia. These days, the remains of the city can be found in a dusty desert, several kilometers east of the present-day Euphrates River. 150 miles (241 km) south of Baghdad, Uruk was built next to what is now the dried-up remains of a channel of the ancient river.

This area was once home to some of the world’s oldest cities, which grew up around fundamental water sources and irrigation projects, and, as Apollo Magazine has described, Uruk itself was once “surrounded by freshwater reed marshes, fertile alluvial soil, and waterways giving access to neighboring towns and the Persian Gulf.” Hence the sunken boat.

Archaeologists believe that Uruk-Warka is one of the world’s first cities, within the area which the Greeks named Mesopotamia, a word meaning “the land between rivers” due to its location between the Euphrates River to the west and the Tigris River to the east.

History of Uruk: A City of Firsts

As described by Apollo Magazine , “ Uruk was home to thousands of people whose lives were based on fishing and the herding of cattle, sheep and goats, together with the cultivation of wheat, barley, apples, figs, and groves of date palms. The city was the biggest of the settlements that had developed across a landscape of flood plains formed by branches of the Tigris and Euphrates in the southern half of what is often termed Mesopotamia.”

Uruk has been remembered as a city of firsts. The first real city, the first example of architecture made in stone, home of the first ziggurat, the location where writing originated, and the first city to create the cylinder seal . By about 2900 BC, Uruk is believed to have been home to up to 80,000 people, living within the walled city which covered about 6 km2 (2.32 square miles).

Over time, and thanks to the effects of climate change , the Euphrates channel dried up, while the main river itself also shifted course and moved further away. After a period of constant warfare, there was a devastating drought around 2250 BC, after which time the importance of not just Uruk , but all of southern Mesopotamia, declined. The ancient city continued to be sparsely inhabited until the Islamic conquest of circa 633 to 638 AD when it was completely abandoned.

Current-day remains of the ancient city of Uruk. (SAC Andy Holmes / OGL v1.0 )

German-Led Excavations at Uruk

The first excavations of Uruk -Warka were conducted in the 1850s by the British explorer William Loftus. For want of the exciting discoveries being made in other northern Mesopotamian sites, he soon gave up, and since 1912, the archaeological site has been excavated by a long term project led by the German Archaeological Institute.

In December 2021, Al-Monitor reported that various European archaeological teams were making important discoveries in Iraq. According to Laith Majid Hussein, director of the Iraqi State Board of Antiquities and Heritage, these European archaeologists are actively training Iraqi archaeologists in projects throughout the country, in the hopes of creating “a generation of well experienced and professional excavators.”

• Ancient Mesopotamia and the Rise of Civilization
• A Functional and Fertile Crescent: Technological Advancements in the Cradle of Civilization

The Mesopotamian boat excavation is one such project. A very small percentage of ancient Uruk has actually been excavated so far, most of it being made up of mud-brick architecture. Many of the findings which have come to light at Uruk since the German project began in 1912 were published in a book entitled Uruk: First City of the Ancient World .

After many decades of conflict and looting, keeping in mind that until 1969 it was common practice to divide finds between foreign excavators and Iraq, the archaeological landscape in Iraq appears to be changing. The recently excavated Mesopotamian boat has been transferred to the Iraq Museum in Baghdad for conservation and further analysis, in keeping with current Iraqi antiquities laws.

Top image: Ancient Mesopotamian boat unearthed near Uruk. Source: Julia Nador - Deutsches Archäologisches Institut / CC-BY-NC-ND

By Cecilia Bogaard

The video is loaded with a lot of information to study. Much appreciated.

Cecilia Bogaard is one of the editors, researchers and writers on Ancient Origins. With an MA in Social Anthropology, and degree in Visual Communication (Photography), Cecilia has a passion for research, content creation and editing, especially as related to the... Read More

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