Accomplishments. The ancient Mesopotamians are credited with a host of original technological accomplishments. They built canal systems for irrigation and transportation, created the first man-made glass objects, and produced new wheeled war machines, movable siege towers, belfries with battering rams, and war chariots. They recorded the world's first recipes for perfume, beer, dyes, medicines, and bronze, and they invented a new cuisine.

Ziggurats. The Mesopotamian ziggurat stands out as a striking innovation in architectural design. Evolving from the early practice of building and rebuilding temples on earthen or brick platforms, the ziggurat resembled a multileveled, stepped pyramid. It was made of mud brick, clad in burnt brick set in bitumen mortar, and presumably topped with a temple or shrine. Ziggurats were a distinctive feature on the Mesopotamian skyline. The remains of more than thirty ziggurats have been found so far. Ur-Namma...