Mesopotamia was home to four important civilisations: the Sumerians, Akkadians, Babylonians and Assyrians.
Sumerians
The Sumerians inhabited southern Mesopotamia around 3500 BC. They invented cuneiform writing and developed the first known civilisation. The Sumerians lived in city-states. These were independent cities with their own governments. At first, they were governed by priests. Later, they were ruled by kings with the help of priests. The most important city-states were Ur, Uruk and Lagash.
Akkadians
The Akkadians lived to the north of the Sumerians. They had a policy of expanding their territory to the south, into the territory of the Sumerians, which they eventually conquered. The conquest of Sumerian territory allowed Sargon, king of Akkad, to create the first empire in History. The Akkadians controlled the region from 2335–2150 BC.
Babylonians
Around 1950 BC, in the city of Babylon in the centre of Mesopotamia, there was a great royal dynasty. One of the most powerful kings of this dynasty was Hammurabi (1792–1750 BC). He held great power over Mesopotamia and introduced an important set of laws, the Code of Hammurabi, which was written in 1756 BC. This code of laws was used throughout his empire.
Assyrians
The Assyrians lived in northern Mesopotamia. Their empire reached its peak
between the 9th and 7th centuries BC. The Assyrians were fearsome warriors who developed advanced military techniques and were, therefore, able to create a great empire. Their most important cities were Assur and Nineveh, where the remains of a great library, the Royal Library of Ashurbanipal, have been found. There were also important palaces such as the palace of King Ashurbanipal.
