Mesopotamia is the region known as the cradle of civilization because this is where the Garden of Eden was probably located. Both Semites and Hamites settled in Mesopotamia. Genesis 10:10-12 has numerous references to towns where Ham's descendants settled including Shinar, the area where the Tower of Babel was erected (mentioned in Genesis 11:2). Genesis 14 stated that the Elamites held power over inhabitants of Shinar and Mesopotamia in the story where Abram had to rescue Lot. Amraphel was identified as the king of Shinar in verse 1 of that passage.

The earliest known inhabitants were the Akkadians, Sumerians and Chaldeans. Shinar and Chaldea were practically synonymous to the eastern region of Mesopotamia between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers near the Persian Gulf. Genesis 10:10 stated Babylon, Erech, Akkad and Calneh all were in Shinar. Akkad is stated as being settled by Nimrod, the son of Cush & grandson of Ham in Genesis 10:10. In Akkad, Sargon the Great got ambitious by attacking the Sumerians and made a name for himself that other expansionist leaders emulated.

Among the Canaanites (descendants of Ham from his son, Canaan), the Amorites rose under the leadership of Hammurabi to set up his kingdom in Babylon, then In Mari. Later civilzations to settle this area were the Assyrians and the Babylonians. Ninevah was an Assyrian town. According to the Holman Bible Atlas (ISBN: 978-0-8054-9760-1), Assyrians used the Akkadian language. (Click the links to learn more about these civilizations.)