Books made of papyrus were unknown to the Mesopotamians.

人们在美索不达米亚不曾发现过莎草纸书。

Ancient Mesopotamians paid taxes in the form of livestock and labor.

古代美索不达米亚人以牲畜和劳动的形式纳税。

Ancient Mesopotamians and Egyptians made beer throughout the year from stored cereal grains.

古代美索不达米亚和埃及地区一年到头都在利用储存的谷物酿造啤酒。

The ancient Mesopotamians would speak of Nanna, the god of the Moon and creator of all things.

古美索不达米亚人会提到南娜，月亮之神和万物的创造者。

So, rather than fear a blood moon like the ancient Mayans and Mesopotamians, why not think of it as a romantic moment?

所以与其像古玛雅人以及美达不索米亚人那样害怕血月，倒不如不认为它是一个浪漫的时刻。

And just as the violent and capricious Tigris and Euphrates rivers shaped the worldview of early Mesopotamians, the Nile shaped the world view of the Egyptians.

正如狂暴多变的底格里斯河和幼发拉底河塑造了早期美索不达米亚人的世界观一样，尼罗河塑造了埃及人的世界观。

But people of the Indus valley were trading with Mesopotamians as early as 3500 BCE. We also know that it was the largest of the ancient civilizations.

但早在公元前 3500 年，印度河流域的人们就开始与美索不达米亚人进行贸易。我们也知道它是最大的古代文明。

Now we're back with the Mesopotamians who made the standard of Ur, and we're looking at one of the earliest examples of writing from there, in what is now southern Iraq.

现在我们用美索不达米亚人的标准, 审视在现在伊拉克南部最早的例子。