Image of Zagros mountains, Chahar Mahal o Bakhtiari by ninara

Mountains in Sumeria

Lower Mesopotamia is generally lacking trees, only date palms and tamarisk grow in volume. Similar to in Egypt, the need for timber for construction was one of the drivers of trade and innovation in Sumeria. The size of houses is often based on the maximum length of timber they could get hold of; the maximum length of timber gives the smallest dimension of rooms. Many Sumerian rooms were therefore long and narrow, with short timber supports. The length of standard timber equals the maximum width of the rooms. Rooms were typically long and narrow for this reason.

Zagros Mountains

Zagros Mountains

Phoenix dactylifera, commonly known as date or date palm,is a flowering plant species in the palm family, Arecaceae, cultivated for its edible sweet fruit. Although its exact place of origin is uncertain because of long cultivation, it probably originated from the Fertile Crescent region straddling between Egypt and Mesopotamia. The species is widely cultivated across Northern Africa, the Middle East, the Horn of Africa and South Asia, and is naturalized in many tropical and subtropical regions worldwide.

Lebanese Mountains

Lebanese Mountains

Phoenix dactylifera, commonly known as date or date palm,is a flowering plant species in the palm family, Arecaceae, cultivated for its edible sweet fruit. Although its exact place of origin is uncertain because of long cultivation, it probably originated from the Fertile Crescent region straddling between Egypt and Mesopotamia. The species is widely cultivated across Northern Africa, the Middle East, the Horn of Africa and South Asia, and is naturalized in many tropical and subtropical regions worldwide.

Mountains in Anatolia

Mountains in Anatolia.

Phoenix dactylifera, commonly known as date or date palm,is a flowering plant species in the palm family, Arecaceae, cultivated for its edible sweet fruit. Although its exact place of origin is uncertain because of long cultivation, it probably originated from the Fertile Crescent region straddling between Egypt and Mesopotamia. The species is widely cultivated across Northern Africa, the Middle East, the Horn of Africa and South Asia, and is naturalized in many tropical and subtropical regions worldwide.


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The Lion Hunt

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The game of Ur

Possibly the oldest board game in existence, and surely the oldest we have rules for, the Game of Ur is a fascinating predecessor to Backgammon. Watch a video on how to play it, and see the original at British Museum.