This comparison of data from Gulf of Oman marine sediments and archeological findings shows the synchrony of the collapse of the Akkadian empire with severe climatic changes, including the abrupt onset of drought as indicated by dust deposition.

“Among the many culinary treats Italy has given the world is gelato, a frozen dessert with roots in ancient Mesopotamia. Gelato lovers from all over the world are flocking to a university outside Bologna, Italy, to master the art of gelato-making. Here’s a free lesson: Don’t call it ice cream.”

Ziggurat (holy tower) of ancient Ashur

December 14, 1994

ancient-mesopotamia:

Hanging Gardens of Babylon art.

(via starsinyourwake)

Ludmila Zeman

“ ‘Here, Gilgamesh, is the Immortality You Have Sought…the City You Built’ ” for The Last Quest of Gilgamesh (Montreal: Tundra, 1995).
Mixed media

Original art purchased with the assistance of the Walter & Duncan Gordon Foundation.

King Tiglatpileser III in a segment cut from one of the stone panels decorating his Central Palace at Kalhu. British Museum.

(Source: ucl.ac.uk)

ancient-mesopotamia:

Royal head, known as the “Head of Hammurabi”.
Beginning of the second millennium B.C.

This small sculpted head of a man is one of the world’s most famous works of ancient oriental art. The exceptional quality of the sculpture and the advanced age of the person depicted have led some to believe that this is a portrait of Hammurabi, King of Babylon (1792-1750 BC). However, the work probably predates that ruler’s reign. Indeed, some details, such as the manner in which the hair is arranged on the forehead and around the neck, allow the sculpture to be dated to around 2000 BC.

Illustration of Ishtar Gate and Ziggurat in Ancient City of Babylon - Peel and Stick Wall Decal

by Wallmonkeys