Mesopotamian

Brick dates to the reign of Nebuchadnezzar II (ca. 604 to 562 BCE) based on the interpretation of the inscription. This object was looted from its original context before being acquired by the Slemani Museum and stored in that museum with agreement from the central government. Image courtesy of the Slemani Museum. Credit: Slemani MuseumIn a novel study, researchers utilized ancient Mesopotamian bricks to gain insights into Earth’s magnetic field changes 3,000 years ago. This archaeomagnetic approach provides a more…

Bricks crafted from clay and used to build one of the most epic civilizations in history are now giving scientists a new tool for understanding the history of our planet.Made some 3,000 years ago, the Mesopotamian bricks contain grains of iron oxide that, to the right interpreter, reveal fascinating changes in the magnetic field that runs through and envelops Earth in a protective barrier.The breakthrough comes in the form of a conveniently stamped description that allows scientists to determine the age of the bricks,…

Brick dates to the reign of Nebuchadnezzar II (ca. 604 to 562 BCE) based on the interpretation of the inscription. This object was looted from its original context before being acquired by the Slemani Museum and stored in that museum with agreement from the central government. Image courtesy of the Slemani Museum. Credit: Slemani Museum Ancient bricks inscribed with the names of Mesopotamian kings have yielded important…

aw the Deep, the country, knew , all saw the Deep, the country, knew , all This first quote represents the beginning of the Epic of Gilgamesh as known from the 19th century onwards. The following one shows the text fully restored, in the form it achieved over 100 years later, when a new fragment of it was published in 2007. He who saw the Deep, the foundation of the country, who knew the proper ways, was…

Couples in Mesopotamia could have been the first ones smooching as we know it. New research analyzing written records from the area reveals that people in the Cradle of Civilization could have participated in the oldest recorded acts of kissing.The Weirdest Thing Taylor Lautner Was Asked to Sign | io9 InterviewTroels Pank Arbøll from the University of Copenhagen and Sophie Lund Rasmussen from the University of Oxford examined cuneiform writing on clay tablets from Mesopotamiaand found mentions of kissing as early as 2500…

From the start of last summer until late October, more than 2,000 families were forced to abandon their homes due to the retreating marshlands, according to the FAO’s El-Hajj Hassan. Some of the displaced have moved to areas of marshland that still have water, while others have abandoned their traditional way of life and moved to cities like Basra or Baghdad.Tensions among those who remain in the marshes are rising, and security consultants believe that water scarcity, and specifically the disappearance of the marshlands,…