20 May 2026 — 15 March 2027

Primeval Waters: Lessons from Mesopotamia

Ancient Mesopotamia was crossed by the only two biblical “rivers of paradise” known today, whose importance and dangers may have inspired the myth of the Flood. It was also where irrigation was first invented and developed. These early attempts to master water by artificially transforming the natural environment led to the creation of the earliest known hydraulic works – canals, bridges, aqueducts, pipe networks, artificial lakes and more. They brought far-reaching changes to the land and its inhabitants, whose long-term consequences, both positive and negative, are explored in the exhibition. Drawing on the rich holdings of the Department of Near Eastern Antiquities, which lend themselves well to the subject, the exhibition winds through the department’s galleries to raise the question of water within the collection and to consider the environmental lessons it offers, for the past as for the present. Curated by Ariane Thomas, Director of the Department of Near Eastern Antiquities, Musée du Louvre, with co-curators Barbara Couturaud and Grégoire Nicolet.

Musée du Louvre