Mesopotamia

American  

[mes-uh-puh-tey-mee-uh] / ˌmɛs ə pəˈteɪ mi ə /

noun

1. an ancient region in W Asia between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers: now part of Iraq.

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Mesopotamia British  

/ ˌmɛsəpəˈteɪmɪə /

noun

1. a region of SW Asia between the lower and middle reaches of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers: site of several ancient civilizations

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Mesopotamia Cultural  

1. A region of western Asia, in what is now Iraq, known as the “cradle of civilization.” Western writing first developed there, done with sticks on clay tablets. Agricultural organization on a large scale also began in Mesopotamia, along with work in bronze and iron (see Bronze Age and Iron Age). Governmental systems in the region were especially advanced (see Babylon (see also Babylon) and Hammurabi). A number of peoples lived in Mesopotamia, including the Sumerians, Akkadians, Hittites, and Assyrians.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• Mesopotamian
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of Mesopotamia

Latin from Greek mesopotamia ( khora ) (the land) between rivers

Example Sentences

Previously, the first known dice dated back to the Bronze Age about 5,500 years ago, in such places as Mesopotamia and the Indus Valley of Asia.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 2, 2026

A re-recorded Rock Lobster became a minor hit, followed by similarly danceable, subtly transgressive, B-movie party classics like Dance This Mess Around, Give Me Back My Man and Mesopotamia.

From BBC • Mar. 17, 2026

Even so, the overall information density of the Paleolithic signs closely matches that of the earliest proto-cuneiform tablets from ancient Mesopotamia, which emerged about 40,000 years later.

From Science Daily • Feb. 25, 2026

It is not until the sixth century B.C., when Achaemenid Persians conquered Mesopotamia and much of the Eastern Mediterranean, that dimly perceptible Carthaginians come into view.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 11, 2026

Is it merely coincidence that the pyramids of Mesopotamia, the cradle of architecture, have served as a symbolic shape for twentieth century architects?

From "The Annotated Mona Lisa" by Carol Strickland and John Boswell