A history of Iraq is arguably pretty much the history of human civilization, or at least a good chunk of it. Read this article for free: Already have an account? To continue reading, please subscribe: * A history of Iraq is arguably pretty much the history of human civilization, or at least a good chunk of it. Read unlimited articles for free today: Already have an account? A history of Iraq is arguably pretty much the history of human civilization, or at least a good chunk of it.
And in point of fact, this history starts with the ancient Sumerian city of Uruk, the very “birthplace of writing,” as author Bartle Bull notes. Iraq, the “land between the rivers” of the title, also historically known as Mesopotamia, is located between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. Hadi Mizban / Associated Press files Followers of the ancient Mandaean religious, which follows the teachings of John the Baptist perform rituals along a strip of embankment of the Tigris River.
Bull, a veteran American Middle-East beat reporter and award-winning documentary filmmaker, has penned a comprehensive history of the region. His credentials include having spent four years on the ground in Iraq as a freelancer, “reporting and writing for newspapers and magazines during the 2004-2008 war there.” Oddly, he stops short of the modern era and recent events.
His treatment runs from circa 2700 BC to 1958, terminating with the coup that ended the Iraqi monarchy. Odder yet, while there is an epilogue that .