6. What was the legacy of Mesopotamia and how does the manual describe them?

Saswat Pati

Legacy

The Mesopotamians left a massive legacy for future civilizations and set the precedent for civilization. Urbanization, writing, astronomy, wind power, irrigation, trade notation, agricultural developments, mathematics, animal husbandry, the wheel, and the narratives which would eventually be retold as the Hebrew Scriptures and form the Christian Old Testament all came from the land of Mesopotamia. Mesopotamian cities were the first cities which were economic, cultural, and religious centers of the realm. Also the Mesopotamians were the first who detached their civilization from the perils of environment. For the first time man had created an environment which he could tailor to his own preferences. Finally administrators could easily control transactions and the masses. In addition one of the most influential idea from Mesopotamia or maybe ever was the notion of monotheism. In fact two of the three world's largest religions are Monotheistic. Perhaps their greatest legacy though was the foundation and standard for civilizations to come and the basic ideas which combined with ideas of freedom led to our western civilization today. The Mesopotamians may have vanished long ago, however the impact of their legacy affects us every single day.

Sources

Origins Manual pg. 103

Legacy of Mesopotamia[1]