Mesopotamia

Mesopotamia mĕsˌəpətāˈmēə [key] [Gr.,=between rivers], ancient region of Asia, the territory about the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, included in modern Iraq. The region extends from the Persian Gulf north to the mountains of Armenia and from the Zagros and Kurdish mountains on the east to the Syrian Desert. From the mountainous north, Mesopotamia slopes down through grassy steppes to a central alluvial plain, which was once rendered exceedingly fertile by a network of canals.

Sections in this article:

• Introduction
• The Region in Modern Times
• Dynasties and Empires
• The Proto-Literate and Early Dynastic Phases
• Earliest Cultures
• Bibliography

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