It's always been hard for me to visualize the progression of ancient Mesopotamian civilizations like Sumer, Assyria, Babylon, Acadia, etc. Are there some good resources to get a better idea of how one influenced the other and their respective rises and declines?

by tigrenus

Thanks in advance! Especially looking for visual aids that give an idea of what each civilization is best known for.

Bentresh

I've touched on the chronology of Mesopotamia in these threads:

I go more into more detail in the posts above, but the general chronology of Mesopotamia is as follows:

  • Early Dynastic (ca. 2900-2350 BCE)

  • Akkadian period (ca. 2350-2150 BCE)

  • Ur III period (ca. 2150-2000 BCE)

  • Old Assyrian period (ca. 2000-1600 BCE) / Isin-Larsa period (ca. 2000-1760 BCE)

  • Old Assyrian period (ca. 2000-1600 BCE) / Old Babylonian period (ca. 1760-1600 BCE)

  • Middle Assyrian period (ca. 1400-1000 BCE) / Middle Babylonian or Kassite period (ca. 1600-1160 BCE)

  • Neo-Assyrian period (ca. 1000-609 BCE) / Various Babylonian dynasties (ca. 1160-729 BCE) followed by direct Assyrian rule (729-627 BCE)

  • Neo-Babylonian period (626-539 BCE)

  • Achaemenid period (ca. 550-330 BCE)