"Now the Lord God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden." So says the Book of Genesis, Chapter 2. The text later goes on to identify the location of that famous Garden, home of Adam and Eve, as a place where four rivers began. The locations of the first two rivers, the Pishon and the Gihon, are unknown; but the other two are much more familiar: the Tigris and the Euphrates.
This is the first of many places in the Bible that make some reference to Mesopotamia. Besides the Garden of Eden, for instance, at least two other links with Mesopotamia appear in the first few chapters of Genesis. In the Great Flood described in Genesis, Chapter 7, God destroyed all living creatures except Noah, his family, and the creatures in the ark (or boat) with them. This story has parallels in Sumerian legend, most notably in the Gilgamesh Epic.
The next major event after Noah and before Abraham is the building of the Tower of Babel. According to Genesis 11:19, everyone on Earth spoke a common language up to that time. The people joined together and decided to build a tower to Heaven. This was a symbol of defiance to God, who caused everyone to start speaking different languages—which separated them and halted work on the tower. Many scholars believe that the Tower of Babel story describes a ziggurat built by Nebuchadnezzar. However, others argue that the Book of Genesis was written much earlier. In any case, all sides agree that Babel is another name for Babylon.
This period is known as the Third Dynasty. In about 2000 B. C., however, this final chapter of Sumer's history came to an end when Mesopotamia was overrun by a group from the west called the Amorites (AM-uh-rites.) The Amorites would in turn establish the next great Mesopotamian civilization in Babylon.
The Hanging Gardens of Babylon, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Archive Photos. Reproduced by permission.
World History
