Historical Overview of the Region

The term « Mesopotamia » comes from the ancient Greek mésos potamós meaning « between the rivers ». This Greek term itself comes from a local expression known in Akkadian and later in Aramaic (birit narim and beyn nahrim), which also means « between the rivers ». It reminds us of the importance of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers as structuring elements of this region, essential for the settlement of people and their movements.

Northern Mesopotamia

A distinction is made between Southern Mesopotamia (or Lower Mesopotamia) and Northern Mesopotamia (or Upper Mesopotamia). Northern Mesopotamia is located upstream of the Tigris and Euphrates basins. Corresponding to northern Iraq, northeastern Syria and southeastern Turkey, it has several distinct landscapes: to the north, it is bordered by the Anatolian highlands and to the east by the Zagros Mountains. The two rivers, the Tigris and the Euphrates, flow through valleys with a pronounced relief, similar as those of the Lower Zab and Upper Zab, tributaries of the Tigris, and those of the Balikh and Khabur, tributaries of the Euphrates.

Mosul: In the heart of Northern Mesopotamia

Mosul, the main city in Northern Iraq, is located in a geographical confluence. Overlooking the alluvial plain of Nineveh, it lies at the eastern end of the Jazira, where the Sinjar Mountains are also located. Further north are the mountains of Iraqi Kurdistan. Among the main archaeological sites in Northern Mesopotamia are Tell Hassuna, Tepe Gawra, Tell Arpachiyah, Khorsabad, Nineveh, Balawat, Nimrud, Ashur and Hatra.

The chronological framework

The collections of the Mosul Cultural Museum were a wonderful testimony to the rich and complex past of Northern Mesopotamia, presenting visitors with archaeological remains from many of the most important sites in the region. Many of these sites had been occupied for several millennia, sometimes continuously from the Neolithic to the Middle Ages. Human occupation of a site over a long period of time resulted in the formation of artificial hills, known by the Arabic term tell.

Although the chronology of Northern Mesopotamia, presented below, may seem relatively simple, the history of this region is complex. It saw many peoples with distinct religions, scripts and languages cohabit or succeed one another. Generally speaking, ancient Mesopotamia forms a historical, social and cultural whole that was above all plural, associating different populations and cultural influences in an original and particularly fruitful mixture throughout its multimillennial history.