The Sumerians are often credited with founding the world’s first civilization—but where did they come from? Their language, culture, and innovations shaped Mesopotamia, yet their origins remain ...

In ancient times, Mesopotamia, meaning 'land between two rivers', was a vast region that lay between the Tigris and Euphrates river systems, and it is where civilization emerged over 7,000 years ago.

Unlike the Egyptian pyramids, ziggurats were not places of royal burials, but temples dedicated to the patron deity of a city ...

Millennia ago, in the Fertile Crescent, the land nestled between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers in what is now present-day Iran, the ancient Mesopotamian civilization of Sumer arose. Sumerians ...

The story of how the first cities rose from southern Mesopotamia has long fascinated scientists and historians. Many explanations point to fertile soil, farming, and trade networks as the engines of ...

Jack Knudson is an assistant editor for Discover Magazine who writes articles on space, ancient humans, animals, and sustainability, and manages the Planet Earth column of the print issue. View Full ...

Gender-ambiguous people in ancient Mesopotamia were powerful and important members of society more than four millennia ago.

Today, trans people face politicization of their lives and vilification from politicians, media and parts of broader society.