Chronicle of Nebuchanezzar of the years 605-594 BC including his first campaign against Jerusalem in 597 BC

Gold spouted cup from the Royal Tomb of Queen Puabi of Ur, c.2500 BC

The ancient world of the Assyrians is heading down under as Melbourne Museum plans to launch The Wonder of Ancient Mesopotamia exhibition from mid-next year.

Off the back of the record-breaking Tutankhmun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs showcase, the exhibition will open its historic doors from 4 May 2012 and offer Aussies the opportunity to dwell in the era of the ancient region known to the Greeks as Mesopotamia but known to its people as Beth Nahrain or the ‘Land Between the Rivers’.

Encompassing the areas making up modern Iraq, north east Syria and south east Turkey and situated between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, the exhibition will share the makings and findings left behind by the Sumer, Assyrians and Babylonians.

“It was home to a succession of great cities and empires from which emerged many of the fundamentals of contemporary civilisation, in particular in areas of science, art, law and government,” Melbourne Museum said in a statement.  

Themes of the exhibition include palaces and royal power, religious beliefs and rituals, burial practices and royal tombs, and the myths and legends that surround ancient Mesopotamia.

Artefacts include carved stone reliefs depicting scenes of battle, hunting items and gold jewellery as well as others located in the mid-nineteenth century in the ancient cities of Ur, Nineveh and Nimrud.

“The Wonders of Ancient Mesopotamia will be another Australian first for Melbourne Museum,” Premier and Minister for the Arts Ted Baillieu said.  

“The exhibition will explore an era that has had a profound influence on modern civilisation and is sure to be yet another great drawcard for both locals and visitors.”

Museum Victoria chief executive Dr Patrick Greene added that the exhibition showcases how “great knowledge” is transferred through the generations from the ancient world and into our modern environment.

“Mesopotamia played an extraordinary role in the development of human civilisation,” Dr Greene explained.

“These discoveries revealed Mesopotamia’s forgotten wonders – from the massive Ziggurat of Ur and the palace of the legendary king Nebuchanezzar to the royal graves at Ur, filled with exquisite artefacts of gold, silver and bronze.”