Here are various places where you can see archaeological sites or artifacts from Mesopotamia:

Museums

Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures in Chicago, Illinois: founded in 1919 by James Henry Breasted, opened to the public in 1931. The majority of ISAC’s collections are from its expeditions in West Asia and North Africa during the 1920s – 40s. The first of these was the University of Chicago Oriental Exploration Fund’s expedition to Bismaya (ancient Adab). During the 1930s, excavation began on four sites on the lower Diyala River. In 1948, work began at the holy city of Nippur. The Tell Asmar Hoard came from Eshnuanna, excavated in 1933. The Lamassu was unearthed at Khorsabad.

Penn Museum in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: the Penn Museum has been uncovering our shared humanity across continents and millennia since 1887. The Babylonian Section houses more than 35,000 cuneiform tablets, many derived from early Nippur excavations. The Near East collections include nearly 90,000 artifacts housed in three main storage areas: Mesopotamia, the Levant and Iran. One highlight includes the Ram in the Thicket artifact, a small figural furnishing found with a near duplicate in grave 1237 in the Royal Cemetery at Ur.

The Iraq Museum in Baghdad, Iraq: The Baghdad Archaeological Museum was established with the help of the British author Gertrude Bell in 1926. The Museum was closed from 1991 during the Gulf War and reopened on April 28, 200.0. In the wake of instability following the American invasion of Iraq in 2003, thousands of excavation site pieces (jars, vessels, pottery shards, etc.) were stolen, of which over 3,000 have been recovered. One museum highlight is the Mask of Warka, the first almost complete and life-size depiction of the human face in history, with respect to its anatomical details. It is made of marble, is about 20 cm tall, and dates back to Jemdet Nasr period around 3000 BCE. It was excavated by a German archaeological team in 1939 CE, in a temple dedicated to Inanna at the Sumerian city of Uruk (modern-day Warka), southern Iraq. In April of 2003, it was looted from the museum. In September of that year, a tip from an informant to the US Military police was received, which said that it was in a farm north of Baghdad. A raid was conducted by the US army and found the Mask of Warka after digging 15 cm in the dirt. It is now on display in the Iraq Museum in Baghdad, Sumerian Gallery.”

The Met in New York, New York: The Museum’s collection of ancient Near Eastern art includes more than 7,000 works ranging in date from 7000 BCE through the centuries just beyond the emergence of Islam. The Department has particular strengths in the areas of ancient Mesopotamia and Iran. The first ancient Near Eastern objects to enter The Met collection—Assyrian stone reliefs, cuneiform tablets, and stamp and cylinder seals—were acquired in the late 1800s. One highlight is a panel with a striding lion, from the Ishtar Gate. It comes from the city of Babylon, when it became the city of splendor described by Herodotus and the Old Testament Book of Daniel. Because stone is rare in southern Mesopotamia, molded glazed bricks were used for building and Babylon became a city of brilliant color.

The British Museum in London, England: The British Museum opened its doors in 1759. Objects on display in Room 56 illustrate economic success based on agriculture, the invention of writing, developments in technology and artistry, and other achievements of the Sumerians, Akkadians and Babylonians. Objects found at the Royal Cemetery at Ur in southern Iraq are of particular importance, including tombs, skeletons, jewelry, pottery and musical instruments that were excavated on behalf of the British Museum and the University of Pennsylvania Museum. One highlight is the Standard of Ur.

Pergamonmuseum in Berlin, Germany: constructed between 1910 and 1930. The museum now houses three of the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin’s collections: the Antikensammlung, Vorderasiatisches Museum, and the Museum für Islamische Kunst. Today, the Vorderasiatisches Museum is home to one of the most significant collections of Near East antiquities in the world. They write that, “the ancient cities of Mesopotamia had long since fallen into ruin and were virtually forgotten when German archaeologists began excavations in Babylon, Assur, Uruk and at other sites in the former Ottoman Empire in the 19th century.” The impressive reconstructions of massive archaeological structures – the Pergamon Altar, Market Gate of Miletus, the Mshatta Facade, and the Ishtar Gate and Processional Way from Babylon have made the Pergamonmuseum famous throughout the world.”

Archaeological Sites

• Hattusha, Turkey: the capital of the Hittite Empire (1650 – 1190 BCE), who controlled Upper Mesopotamia
• Harran, Turkey: located on a road that ran to Nineveh, it is mentioned as the place Prophet Abraham went to when he left Ur
• Mari, Syria: destroyed by Sargon of Akkad around 2265 BCE, it was revived and occupied for hundreds of years before being abandoned sometime in the Hellenistic Period
• Hatra: “City of the Sun, Hatra was the first, and for a very long time, the only UNESCO-listed site in Iraq.”
• Dur-Sharrukin (Khorsabad): located near modern-day Mosul, the Lamassu in Chicago (above) was found within the ruins of the Palace of Sargon II, more of which is reconstructed within the Louvre
• Nineveh: located within modern-day Mosul, it was a large Assyrian city that housed the Library of Ashurbanipal (including a copy of The Epic of Gilgamesh, forgotten to history until its rediscovery in the 1850s). Partly destroyed by ISIS, it recently reopened to the public and new discoveries are being made there by archaeologists.
• Nimrud (Calah): the site was excavated in the 19th century by Austen Henry Layard. Like so many historic and cultural sites, Nimrud site was sadly largely destroyed by ISIS in 2014.
• Ashur: the capital of the Assyrian Empire between 1207 and 879 BCE, the religious sanctity of Ashur ensured its continuous upkeep until 614 BCE, when it was destroyed by the Babylonians.
• Dur-Kurigalzu: built by the Kassites to control trade to the east
• Borsippa: “These ruins were long considered to contain the ruins of the Tower of Babel, as Birs Nimrud is dominated by the mass of its ziggurat, a striking landmark which can be seen from miles afar.”
• Ctesiphon: “the capital of the Parthian Empire (247 BCE – 224 CE) before being destroyed by Rome and was then restored to become capital again of the Sassanian Empire (224-651 CE)” The famous arch was built in the 3rd century CE
• Babylon: perhaps the most famous city from ancient Mesopotamia, it is remembered for the Biblical Tower of Babel, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, the Ishtar Gate, the Law Code of Hammurabi
• Kish: the first historical ruler on the Sumerian King List, Enmebaragesi, ruled Kish around 2650 BCE
• Nippur: dating back to the Ubaid Period around 5000 BCE, it was inhabited until roughly 800 CE. A particularly holy place, it possessed the famous shrine of Enlil
• Uruk: oldest city in the world, where Gilgamesh is said to have ruled, and the birthplace of writing
• Ur: known for its mighty ziggurat, reconstructed by Saddam Hussain in the 1980s, and the Royal Tombs of Ur, excavated by Leonard Woolley in the 1920s