Page 3 - Biblical Backgrounds

Ancient Mesopotamia and Abraham (Genesis 11-12)

Connect…

How did the culture of Ancient Mesopotamia shape the way Abraham saw and worshipped God? Where
did Abraham come from? What was the culture like there? How did it shape Abraham’s understanding
of who God was and how to follow Him? What was the Tower of Babel? In this section, we will focus on
the world that shaped the life and actions of Abraham. You will find that understanding this information
brings the Bible to life. Let’s get started.

The Lesson ...

Ancient Mesopotamia is in the land between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. The culture that arose
there is considered the birthplace of civilization. The name Mesopotamia is not the name it was
originally known by. Mesopotamia simply means “the land between the rivers.” This region is known for
having invented writing, the wheel, architecture, irrigation systems, and metalworking abilities. In what
follows, we will briefly summarize the location, government, religious thought, social, and economic
background that produced Abraham. We will start with the location. They wrote on many backgrounds,
but the surviving examples include Cuneiform tablets primarily. Here is an example of a Sumerian
Cuneiform tablet.
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Location of Ancient Mesopotamia:

Mesopotamia was an area roughly 600 miles long and 300 miles wide (at its largest points). It was on the
eastern edge of the Fertile Crescent. It was located between the rivers. These rivers are vital to the
location as they are fed by the melting of snow in the mountains they are sourced from. This water
would melt each year and bring with it rich minerals and soil that kept the land fertile. As a result, it
produced crops and grass needed for animals. Because of this food supply, the owners of crops could
sustain large herds of animals. One could become very wealthy in ancient Mesopotamia.

1 Illustration used with permission from John Holmes from his Biblical Backgrounds course.

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