When was the wheel invented?
The wheel was invented around 3500 BC in Mesopotamia, and it was first used as a potter's wheel for making pottery before anyone put it on a vehicle.
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Mesopotamia Facts
Mesopotamia facts and facts about mesopotamias.
13 facts on this shelf
What was the wheel first used for before transportation?
The wheel was likely first used for making pottery in Mesopotamia around 3500 BC, before anyone put wheels on carts.
What does "Mesopotamia" mean?
"Mesopotamia" means "land between rivers," referring to the Tigris and Euphrates.
What was the first writing system?
Cuneiform, developed in Mesopotamia around 3200 BC, is one of the earliest writing systems.
What is the Code of Hammurabi?
The Code of Hammurabi, from around 1754 BC, is one of the oldest written law codes.
What is the oldest great work of literature?
The Epic of Gilgamesh from Mesopotamia is considered the oldest surviving great work of literature.
Why are there 60 minutes in an hour?
There are 60 minutes in an hour because the Mesopotamians used a base-60 number system.
What is the oldest customer complaint?
The oldest known customer complaint, from around 1750 BC, is a clay tablet in which a man named Nanni complains to a merchant named Ea-nasir about low-quality copper.
Did Mesopotamians brew beer?
Mesopotamians brewed beer and wrote a hymn to the goddess Ninkasi that describes how to make it.
What was one of the first cities?
Uruk in Mesopotamia was one of the world's first cities.
What were ziggurats?
Ziggurats were huge stepped temple towers built in Mesopotamia.
Did the Hanging Gardens of Babylon exist?
Some historians doubt the Hanging Gardens of Babylon ever existed, or think they may have been in Nineveh instead.
How big was the Indus Valley civilization?
The Indus Valley civilization covered a larger area than ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia combined.