This study traces the decipherment of cuneiform inscriptions and synthesizes archaeological and textual evidence to reconstruct ancient Near Eastern cultures. It reviews the methods that unlocked wedge-shaped writing, reports major finds and excavations including tablets from Boghaz Keui, and examines material topics such as the origin of bronze and Sumerian institutions. It compares Babylonian and Egyptian cultural relations, explores contacts among Babylonia, Assyria, Asia Minor, Palestine and Canaan in the century before the Exodus, and emphasizes the need for systematic archaeological excavation to resolve gaps in our knowledge of the region.