1. About Iraq
  2. History
  3. Historical Achievements

Historical Achievements

Early Sumerian math cones: Early numeral system, in which small clay cones were used to represent one, a clay ball for ten, and a large cone for sixty

Epic of Gilgamesh, a poem from Mesopotamia, is amongst the earliest surviving works of literature.

Sumerian statuettes depicting theocracy and the bureaucratic system of priesthood

Cuneiform was the earliest writing system.

The Code of Hammurabi, is one of the earliest comprehensive law codes.

Iraq is the birthplace of many significant historical achievements that affect life around the world today, from the earliest known writing system and innovations in irrigation to important agricultural developments like the first wheel and the first seed plow to significant scientific achievements like the division of the circle into 360 degrees and the invention of latitude and longitude in geographical navigation.

A list of some of these achievements includes:

  • sophisticated irrigation systems
  • first cereal agriculture
  • earliest writing system (cuneiform)
  • full syllabic alphabet
  • double entry accounting practices
  • commercial record-keeping
  • the usage of private property
  • the numeral 60 based math system
  • banking
  • recording literature (such as the epic, Gilgamesh)
  • early calendars
  • bureaucratic system of priesthood
  • earliest legal comprehensive code (the Hammurabi Code)
  • the first wheel
  • the first seed plow
  • the first sailboat
  • the division of the circle into 360 degrees
  • the invention of latitude and longitude in geographical navigation
  • the first sophisticated use of medical science
  • algebraic equations and invention of zero