A joint Iraqi-American archaeological mission at Ancient Nippur has uncovered a cache of 150 cuneiform tablets from the Kassite period. Surprisingly, several tablets describe a royal decree for urban greening, mandating the planting of cedar and fruit trees along public canals to combat city heat and soil erosion.
Environmental historians are calling this the world's first recorded urban reforestation policy. The tablets even list specific water-rights granted to citizens who maintained these public groves, showing a sophisticated understanding of urban microclimates and sustainability in Mesopotamia over 3,000 years ago.