Fifteen newly published Sumerian tablets from ancient Mesopotamia are offering a rare look at the workings of a royal estate nearly 4,000 years ago. Researchers say several of the clay records may have come from the estate of Princess...
Archaeologists have uncovered irrigation networks dating back nearly 6,000 years near Eridu, the ancient Sumerian city long regarded in Mesopotamian tradition as the world's first city, according to a study published this month in the journal IRAQ.
The research was...
Most people today couldn't imagine a world without electricity. It powers everything from our lights to our smartphones, making life as we know it possible.
But what if this essential technology had roots stretching over 2,000 years? The ancient "Babylon...
The ancient Greeks closely linked the owl with wisdom, especially through its connection to the goddess Athena. But why did they believe this bird of prey embodied wisdom? What is it about the owl that made it a symbol...
Sheep and goats may have played a greater role in the rise of the world’s first cities than previously believed, according to research into ancient herding and urbanism in the Middle East. The research suggests that the social behavior...
Scientists have found a way to read ancient cuneiform text locked inside sealed clay envelopes by using a new CT scan tool that does not require breaking the clay open.
The technology, called ENCI, lets researchers see and translate writing...
Archaeologists in Iraq have uncovered a large Assyrian stele near the ancient Sun Gate of Nineveh in Mosul. Officials say the find could add new evidence about the final century of the Assyrian Empire.
A joint Iraqi-American team found the...
For thousands of years, the Euphrates has been one of the most important rivers in human history. It helped support some of the world's earliest civilizations and became a defining feature of ancient Mesopotamia. Now, new research suggests the...
According to a new study, the ancient Sumerians actually believed gods rather than humans were responsible for inventing writing, meaning scholars have been misreading a 4,000-year-old Sumerian poem for decades.
The finding, published in Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences,...
A collection of ancient cuneiform tablets at Denmark's National Museum may offer rare evidence pointing to the historical existence of Gilgamesh, the Sumerian hero celebrated in one of the world's oldest known stories.
Researchers from the National Museum and the...
