Sumer
Sumer was the first of the empires that ruled the fertile crescent. The earliest historical records in the region do not go back much further than ca. 2900 BC, modern historians have asserted that Sumer was first settled between 5300 and 4700 BC by a non-Semitic people who may or may not have spoken the Sumerian language. Sumer was a place to be in back in its time. The fertile soil meant that they could produce surplus crops. Surplus means to have more than enough. Since they could, it was such an ideal place to settle. The first signs of written language had begun here in the form of Cuneiform written on rock tablets. People also spoke in the Sumerian language. The land prospered for a few thousand more years. Then, the the soil became bad due to poor irrigation and flooding. The Akkadians took this chance to take the land.
Ur
Ur was one of the greater cities in Sumer. It was located not far south of the Euphrates River. The massive ziggurat in the center of the city was where people practiced their polytheistic (many gods) religion. Think of it as like a church or mosque. The picture to the left is what scientists think in what it might have looked like when people lived in Ur. The picture below shows the ruins of Ur and the ziggurat in the present day.
The Akkadian Empire, Babylon, and Assyria
After Sumer had crumbled, the Akkadian Empire stepped in and ruled all Sumerian and Semite people around 2300 BC. The Akkadian Empire reached its political peak between the 24th and 22nd centuries BC, following the conquests by its founder Sargon of Akkad (2334–2279 BC). Under Sargon and his successors, Akkadian language was briefly imposed on neighboring conquered states such as Elam.
After the fall of the Akkadian Empire, the Akkadian peoples of Mesopotamia eventually coalesced into two major Akkadian speaking nations; Assyria in the north, and a few centuries later, Babylonia in the south.
Babylonia was an ancient Akkadian speaking Semitic nation state and cultural region based in central-southern Mesopotamia (present-day Iraq). It emerged as an independent state circa 1894 BC, the city of Babylon being its capital. It was often involved in rivalry with its fellow Akkadian state of Assyria in northern Mesopotamia. Babylonia became the major power in the region after Hammurabi created an empire out of many of the territories of the former Akkadian Empire.
Assyria was centered on the Upper Tigris river, in northern Mesopotamia (present day northern Iraq). The Assyrians came to rule powerful empires a number of times through history. It was named for its original capital, the ancient city of Assur/Ashur. The Assyrian Empire conquered many of the neighboring lands including Babylon, Egypt, Israel, and much more.
After the fall of the Akkadian Empire, the Akkadian peoples of Mesopotamia eventually coalesced into two major Akkadian speaking nations; Assyria in the north, and a few centuries later, Babylonia in the south.
Babylonia was an ancient Akkadian speaking Semitic nation state and cultural region based in central-southern Mesopotamia (present-day Iraq). It emerged as an independent state circa 1894 BC, the city of Babylon being its capital. It was often involved in rivalry with its fellow Akkadian state of Assyria in northern Mesopotamia. Babylonia became the major power in the region after Hammurabi created an empire out of many of the territories of the former Akkadian Empire.
Assyria was centered on the Upper Tigris river, in northern Mesopotamia (present day northern Iraq). The Assyrians came to rule powerful empires a number of times through history. It was named for its original capital, the ancient city of Assur/Ashur. The Assyrian Empire conquered many of the neighboring lands including Babylon, Egypt, Israel, and much more.