Mesopotamia: Civilization Begins March 18 through July 27, 2020 at the Getty Villa in Pacific Palisades, California

Mesopotamia: Civilization Begins March 18 through July 27, 2020 at the Getty Villa in Pacific Palisades, California. 
Mesopotamia—the land "between the rivers" in modern-day Iraq—was home to the ancient Sumerians, Babylonians, and Assyrians. Among their many achievements are the creation of the earliest known script (cuneiform), the formation of the first cities, the development of advanced astronomical and mathematical knowledge, and spectacular artistic and literary accomplishments. The exhibition covers three millennia from the first cities in about 3200 BCE to Alexander the Great’s conquest of Babylon in 331 BCE and features objects from the permanent collection of the Musée du Louvre in Paris, France.


Image: Statue of Prince Gudea (detail), Neo-Sumerian period, about 2120 BCE, dolerite courtesy of Musée du Louvre, Department of Near Eastern Antiquities.

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