In the early days of Mesopotamian civilization, music served mainly temples and palaces, and was mostly used in temple sacrificial ceremonies. With the rise of urban civilization, music has also entered the lives of ordinary citizens.

Images of musical performances have been preserved from various periods of Babylonian history since 4000 BC. Sacrificial panels from the early 3000 BC depict banquet scenes, showing a priest or a ruler and his wife holding a sacrificial banquet surrounded by slaves and musicians. Musical performance scenes are also often depicted on stone pillars and tall stone slabs. In cuneiform, there are many names of people and events directly or indirectly related to music, as well as the names of many musical instruments.