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

• Mesopotamian
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of Mesopotamia

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

Example Sentences

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

Similar anxieties entered the literary record in Mesopotamia and were picked up in the ancient literary traditions of India and China.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 21, 2025

Archaeological evidence indicated that the two regions may have been in contact at least 10,000 years ago when people in Mesopotamia began to farm and domesticate animals, leading to the emergence of an agricultural society.

From BBC • Jul. 2, 2025

An analysis of his skeleton shows that a fifth of his DNA came from ancestors living 1,500km away in the other great civilisation of the time, in Mesopotamia or modern day Iraq.

From BBC • Jul. 2, 2025

“You cannot hurt her. She is made of ancient stuff. She was alive in Mesopotamia, four thousand years ago.”

From "Impossible Creatures" by Katherine Rundell