THE STORY ARCHIVE

Stories

A place, an object, an everyday problem. Find a small story that opens up a bigger picture.

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75 stories · Showing 73–75

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    Mesopotamian Irrigation: How Water Reached the Fields

    When
    c. 2500–2300 BCE
    • Bronze Age
    Where
    • Southern Mesopotamia
    Tello, southern Iraq today

    In Early Dynastic Lagash, bringing river water to a field depended on a connected canal network—and organised work. Follow the route and examine the evidence.

    Story path
    The First Cities · Chapter 3 of 8
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      How Mesopotamia Turned Counting into Writing

      When
      c. 3500–2600 BCE
      • Uruk Period
      Where
      • Southern Mesopotamia
      Warka, Iraq today

      Writing in Mesopotamia began with practical records. Follow the changes that let clay tablets identify goods, organise information and eventually represent speech.

      Story path
      The First Cities · Chapter 2 of 8
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        Uruk: How One of the First Cities Came to Life

        When
        c. 3500–3000 BCE
        • Uruk Period
        Where
        • Southern Mesopotamia
        Warka, Iraq today

        A decorated wall leads into a much larger story: how water, materials, skilled work and records came together in ancient Uruk.

        Story path
        The First Cities · Chapter 1 of 8

        Page 7 of 7

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        The ChronoAtlas

        Put the stories on the map.

        Every story happened somewhere. Explore the places and periods behind the people, objects and ideas.

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        Places · Periods · ConnectionsIllustrative map