Katie taylor, world history 6 October 8, 2013
Thoughts and reflections on: A Light That Did Not Fail
By: E.A. Spieser
Mesopotamia was region that was very ethnically diverse and influenced by many different cultures. The main reason for it's diversity was the fact that the cities in Mesopotamia were constantly being taken over. Most cities during this era felt a need for conquest and this spread cultures and knowledge throughout the ancient world. When a city was taken over that city adapted to the culture of its conquer, so even after the city had gotten away from foreign rule that city would still poses remnants of that culture. 
Today between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers there are a number of large artificial hills or mounds. These mounds come from Mesopotamians building cities on top of other fallen cities in the same location for centuries. When one city was destroyed another city would often build on top of the previous city's remnants. This was done by simply adding dirt to level out the ground and then the next inhabitants would build on top of the old city. This process created mounds, but the real question is why would they build on top of a vanquished city? The answer is simple, location. Cities would be built in a good location with plenty of water and farmable land near by, so there was no need to find a new location. Another reason to build in the same location was because the new inhabitants wanted to follow the layout of the previous city, especially the lay out of the temple in order to please the gods and gain protection.
The main shared features between all Mesopotamian cites were writing and laws. After writing was invented it soon spread and became a shared characteristic of all cultures. Laws were also a feature held by cities throughout Mesopotamia. The cities also shared many traditions and beliefs like their similar gods due to conquest's role in the spreading of ideas.
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