âIn the heart of the Middle East, covering an area that stretches from the Mediterranean to the Indus river in modern-day Iran, lies Mesopotamia. This harsh desert area was gradually populated in prehistoric times. From 6000 BC, the use of irrigation led to the development of agriculture and herding. Mesopotamia became home to a series of highly developed civilizations. In the south, in the land of Sumer, the first cities were built and writing was invented. Around 2000 BC, the invasion of Amorite nomads from the west destroyed the last Sumerian empire of Ur and established a number of small kingdoms. The Amorites dreamed of rebuilding a great empire of the "four regions", stretching across the known world from all four points of the compass. The Babylonian and Assyrian Empires, under their respective gods, Marduk and Assur, were to turn this dream into a reality between 2000 and 500 BC.ë@Siege of a town@
This bas-relief, from the throne room of the Assyrian ruler Assurnazirpal II at Nimrud, shows a siege tower on wheels.
