An introduction to mixed Tate motives

Mixed Tate motives are central objects in the study of cohomology groups of algebraic varieties and their arithmetic invariants. They also play a crucial role in a wide variety of questions related to multiple zeta values and polylogarithms, algebraic K-theory, hyperbolic geometry, and particle physics among others. This survey article is an introduction to mixed Tate motives and their many facets. It was written for the proceedings of the Summer School on Motives and Arithmetic Groups held in Strasbourg in June 2022.