Ancient Mesopotamia and the Birth of History, with Moudhy Al-Rashid

Intelligence Squared

Arts, News, Society & Culture, News Commentary

4.2 • 1.1K Ratings

🗓️ 10 April 2025

⏱️ 41 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

On today’s episode, Dr Moudhy Al-Rashid sheds light on the history of Ancient Mesopotamia. Mesopotamia, the land between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, gave rise to writing, literature, astronomy, and law - shaping human history in ways that still resonate today. Drawing on her new book Between Two Rivers, Al-Rashid brings to life the stories of ordinary people from thousands of years ago: working mothers, enslaved individuals seeking freedom, and even a princess who may have founded the first museum. In conversation with archeologist and author Rebecca Wragg Sykes, Al-Rashid discusses the earliest written records, from economic tallies to personal letters, and explores how Mesopotamians grappled with timeless human concerns - love, illness, ambition, and the quest for knowledge. Why does Mesopotamia often remain in the shadow of Egypt and Greece? And what can we learn from this ancient civilization today? Dr Moudhy Al-Rashid is an Honorary Fellow at the University of Oxford’s Wolfson College, where she specialises in the languages and history of ancient Mesopotamia. She has written for academic and popular journals, including History Today, on topics as diverse as mental illness in ancient Mesopotamia to Late Assyrian scholarly networks. If you'd like to become a Member and get access to all our full conversations, plus all of our Members-only content, just visit intelligencesquared.com/membership to find out more. For £4.99 per month you'll also receive: - Full-length and ad-free Intelligence Squared episodes, wherever you get your podcasts - Bonus Intelligence Squared podcasts, curated feeds and members exclusive series - 15% discount on livestreams and in-person tickets for all Intelligence Squared events ... Or Subscribe on Apple for £4.99: - Full-length and ad-free Intelligence Squared podcasts - Bonus Intelligence Squared podcasts, curated feeds and members exclusive series … Already a subscriber? Thank you for supporting our mission to foster honest debate and compelling conversations! Visit intelligencesquared.com to explore all your benefits including ad-free podcasts, exclusive bonus content and early access. … Subscribe to our newsletter here to hear about our latest events, discounts and much more. https://www.intelligencesquared.com/newsletter-signup/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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1:04.6	Mia Serenti. On today's episode, Dr. Mooney Al Rashid sheds light on the history of ancient Mesopotamia.
1:13.6	Mesopotamia, the land between the Tigris and the Euphrates River, gave rise to writing,
1:19.3	literature, astronomy, and law, shaping human history in ways that still resonate today.
1:26.2	Drawing on her new book, Between Two Rivers, Al Rashid brings to life the stories of ordinary people from thousands of years ago,
1:34.3	working mothers, enslaved individuals seeking freedom, and even a princess who may have founded the first museum.
1:41.3	In conversation with archaeologist and author Rebecca Ragsykes,
1:46.4	Al Rashid discusses the earliest written records, from economic tallies to personal letters,
1:52.7	and explores how Mesopotamians grappled with the timeless human concerns. Love,
1:58.4	illness, ambition and the quest for knowledge. Why does Mesopotamia often remain in the shadow of Egypt and Greece?
2:05.6	And what can we learn from this ancient civilization today? Let's join our host, Rebecca Ragsikes, now with more.
2:13.6	Welcome to Intelligence Squared. I'm Dr Rebecca Rsykes and our guest today is Dr. Moody Al Rashid.
2:23.3	Moody is an honorary fellow at the University of Oxford's Wilson College where she specialises in the languages and history of ancient Mesopotamia.
2:32.3	Moody's really well known for communicating to many different audiences.
2:38.0	She's written academic publications.
	...

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