Civilizations, people, and ideas
Sumerian is a language isolate. Akkadian is a Semitic language whose Babylonian dialect became dominant in southern Mesopotamia. Their cultures overlapped, borrowed, and changed across millennia.
Sumerian
Early cities, temple households, writing, and Sumerian literature.
CIVILIZATIONAkkadian
Sargon’s empire, Semitic Akkadian, administration, and exchange.
CIVILIZATIONBabylonian
Hammurabi, scholarship, astronomy, law, and empire.
01Cities & power
City-states, kings, temples, law, labor, and administration.
02Technology
Irrigation, wheels, boats, metalwork, bricks, and construction.
03Math & sky
Base 60, measurement, calendars, and early observation.
04Daily life
Food, work, school, trade, family, medicine, and music.
05Gods & ritual
Inanna, Enki, Enlil, Nanna, temples, offerings, and festivals.
06Writing
From tokens and pictographs to cuneiform literature.
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