IIMAS – The International Institute for Mesopotamian Area Studies

"If there is a mold to the modern conception of the world, to rules of social living, to the expression of thoughts in writing, its first explicit traces will be found in the "Fertile Crescent," the ancient Near East, along the banks of the Tigris and the Euphrates.As more and more fragments of homes and temples, pottery and tablets are freed from the grip of the earth, we begin to decode the patterns of our cultural imprinting. We come to a better understanding of our civilizational make-up, of – ourselves.Since 1973, IIMAS – The International Institute for Mesopotamian Area Studies has been focusing on a crucial transition in this process: the birth and early growth of civilization. Our excavations have uncovered new data, and we have introduced new methods of analysis, developed an extensive series of publications,and produced a number of education programs."