Between Two Rivers

A fresh and fascinating new history of ancient Mesopotamia and the birth of history.

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Mesopotamia is the birthplace of history.

At the height of its power, this lush region was encircled by two great rivers, the Tigris and the Euphrates. Over the course of thousands of years, Mesopotamia saw the world's first cities, the first writing system, the early seeds of agriculture, the development of myths, medicine, literature and astronomy that all went on to influence societies around the world.

In this fresh history, Dr Moudhy Al-Rashid brings us closer than ever before to the lives of ancient people from the land between two rivers. Through the clay tablets they left behind, Al-Rashid explores the foundations of extraordinary societies and empires, from the Sumerians to the Babylonians. We find, immortalised in clay and stone, early dictionaries, a dog's paw prints, a parent desperately trying to soothe a baby, a bored teenager doodling during class, a slave negotiating their freedom, the world's first museum and countless receipts for beer.

With startling modernity, Between Two Rivers tells the story of how history was made.