Key People of Ancient Mesopotamia

 

    There were many key people in Ancient Mesopotamia including Nebuchadnezzar, who was the King of Babylon and built the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. Abraham was another important person in Ancient Mesopotamia because he was sent to the Promised Land by God. Moses carried the Ten Commandments down Mount Sinai and the Phoenicians were merchants, traders, and colonizers. The Assyrians defeated Babylon and were among the first to invent longitude and latitude. Nebuchadnezzar was not only one of the greatest leaders in Ancient Mesopotamia, he was a very successful man.

    Nebuchadnezzar was the king of Babylon. He was born in Babylon and lived from 634 BC - 562 BC. Nebuchadnezzar’s main achievement was rebuilding Babylon. He built temples in many cities of his kingdom and built The Hanging Gardens of Babylon. Nebuchadnezzar was the son of Nabopolassar and he became the general of his father’s army. He spoke to the gods and it seemed as if they heard his prayer because Babylon soon became the most powerful city-state region. Nebuchadnezzar’s wish was to die in the amazing city he built. Although these facts may be true, Nebuchadnezzar was not the only important person in Ancient Mesopotamia.

    Abraham was born in the city of Ur in Babylonia under the name Abram. When he was 100, God promised him a son by his wife, Sarai. Sarai was unable to become pregnant so her Egyptian Maidservant, Hagar, gave Abraham a son, but that wasn’t the son God had promised. Abraham questioned God’s promise for quite a while. God then changed his name to Abraham and Sarai’s name to Sarah and God gave them their son Isaac.The Lord told him to leave his family and go to the land he would show Abraham, the first exodus. Abraham did what he was told. God tested him many times and he had great trust, obedience, and faith to the will of God. Abraham had twelve sons and they became the Twelve Tribes of Israel. He was a rancher/shepard and the head of a semi-nomadic clan of herdsmen. Abraham died at age 175. An interesting fact about Abraham is the he is referenced in the bible in Hebrews 2, 6, 7, 11; Galatians 3; Romans 4; Acts 7, Exodus 2:24, and Genesis 11-25. After all, Abraham was a very key person in Ancient Mesopotamia.

    Moses lived from 1391 - 1271 BC. When Moses was born the pharaoh demanded that all Hebrew infants be drowned at birth so his mother hid him for three months before she put him in a basket and put him in the Nile River. Pharaoh’s daughter found him in the river and soon adopted him. Once grown, he found an Egyptian taskmaster beating a Hebrew and killed the Egyptian overlord. Moses then went to Midian after Pharaoh ordered him killed for killing the Egyptian overlord. When he got to Midian he married Zipporah, one of the Midianite priest’s daughters. Moses was 80 when he went to Egypt with his brother, Aaron to demand for Pharaoh to “Let my people go”, after God ordered him to. Moses had many adventures including when he started to investigate a flaming bush. But was ordered to come no closer and remove his sandals because he was standing on holy ground. Another adventure was when God called Moses to the top of Mount Sinai and told him about the Ten Commandments. Moses went back down the mountain and told the Israelites about what God had told him. God then called him back up the mountain and he stayed here for 40 days and 40 nights. Meanwhile the Israelites made a golden calf to worship because they didn’t think Moses was going to come back down Mount Sinai. God gave Moses the Ten Commandments in stone and Moses headed back down the mountain for the second and final time. When he saw the golden calf Moses became furious and threw the Ten Commandments and set the golden calf on fire. Another thing Moses did was part the Red Sea. When the Israelites were trapped between the sea and the Egyptian army as he led the exodus out of Egypt. He was instructed by God to lift his rod and stretch his hand over the sea so it could divide. After all of the Israelites crossed the sea, he turned the sea back to normal and the Egyptians went fleeing into the water. Other important event for Moses were leading Jews out of slavery, the exodus, unleashing the Ten Plagues against Egypt, guiding the slaves in the wilderness for 40 years, carrying down the laws from Mount Sinai, and preparing the Jews to enter the land of Canaan. One of the most amazing things Moses got to experience was seeing God’s back. Moses was never able to see the Promise Land because when God told him to speak out to a rock so the Israelites could get water, he just hit the rock two times with his rod instead. Moses died on Mount Nebo when he was 120. All in all, Moses made a big impact on Ancient Mesopotamia and the future of Judaism.

    Phoenicians were merchants, traders, and colonizers. They traded wood, cloth, dyes, embroideries, wine, and decorative objects. They most likely arrived from the Persian Gulf about 3,000 B.C. The Phoenicians were known as purple people and were known for their mighty ships adorned with horses. Their alphabet is the basis for most western languages. The Phoenicians have been called ancient middlemen. The work of the Phoenician goldsmiths were well known. They made almost no pictures of themselves and gave the kings gifts of gold, copper, silver, and tin. Their city still exists today in modern Lebanon. All things considered, The Phoenicians were a very important part of Ancient Mesopotamia.

    Assyrians lived in northern Mesopotamia. They attempted to build their own empire, but Hammurabi soon crushed it. They were known as herders and great traders. Assyrians had their own language and used a wide variety of weapons. Early Assyrians were a warrior society. They attempted attacking Babylon but did not succeed. When they grew stronger, they conquered all cities and tribes that supported and supplied Babylon. In 1200 B.C. they attacked again, this time they defeated Babylon. Sometimes the Assyrians built buildings and decorated them with demons. The Assyrians lived in towns and were among the first to invent longitude and latitude. The Assyrian kings were expected to be warriors. After a long time of attempting independence, they finally had an independent state of their own. Out of all the people in Mesopotamia, the Assyrians were very important because they helped in making civilizations.

    From Nebuchadnezzar to the Phoenicians, Mesopotamia had many important people. Abraham and Moses both followed god’s commands with great trust and obedience. Not only were the Assyrians an important part of Mesopotamia, they were also had big part in making civilizations. These are just a few of the great leaders in Ancient Mesopotamia. If you could be one person in Ancient Mesopotamia, who would you be?