Mesopotamia refers to the region now occupied by modern Iraq, eastern Syria, and southeastern Turkey. The toponym comes from the Greek words μέσος "between" and ποταμός "river", referring to the basins of the Euphrates and the Tigris rivers and the area inbetween. Comparably, the Arabic term is بين نهرين Bayn Nahrain "between two rivers". The fertile geographical area watered by these two rivers is often referred to as the "Cradle of Civilization," since it was here that the first literate societies developed in the late 4th millennium BC. Mesopotamia was coined in the Hellenistic period without any definite boundaries, to refer to a broad geographical area and probably used by the Seleucids. The area became a short-lived province of the Roman Empire at the time of Trajan, with the name Provincia Mesopotamia. Scholars have suggested that the Akkadian term biritum/birit narim corresponded to a similar geographical concept and coined at the time of the Aramaicization of the region[1]. It is however widely accepted that early Mesopotamian societies simply referred to the entire alluvium as kalam in Sumerian (lit. "land"). More recently terms like "Greter Mesopotamia" or "Syro-Mesopotamia" have been adopted to refer to wider geographies corresponding to the Near East or Middle East. The latter two are Euro-centric terms attributed to the region in the 19th century[2]. |
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| Assyrian Wall Plaque - Assyrian Protective Spirit This relief, carved on gypsum, guarded an entrance into the throne room of King Ashurnasirpal II at his palace in Nimrud, the Assyrian capital. MSRP: $86.90 Our Price: $76.63 | | | Assyrian Wall Plaque - Assyrian Eagle Headed Spirit The eagle-headed being touches traditions and beliefs that go back thousands of years in Mesopotamia. MSRP: $86.90 Our Price: $76.63 | ||
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| Assyrian Wall Plaque - Ashurnasirpal Relief This Assyrian stone relief from the northwestern palace at Nimrud shows two nearly assimetrical carved figures of King Ashurnasirpal. MSRP: $121.00 Our Price: $106.70 | | | Assyrian Wall Plaque - Large Ashurbanipal Hunting This fragment from a wall originally found in the Assyrian palace of Nineveh depicts King Ashurbanipal as part of a larger scene hunting wild asses with the help of hounds. MSRP: $328.90 Our Price: $290.03 | ||
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| Large Ashurbanipal Hunting - Ashurbanipal Hunting After Ashurbanipal's reign the Assyrian empire fell apart in the span of twenty years. MSRP: $75.90 Our Price: $66.93 | |||||
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