Cradle of civilization

Author: (American) Kramer / Compiled by Time-Life Books; Su Yaocheng
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2004-11-01
Features: Rivers are the lifelines of human civilization. The Tigris and Euphrates, like two living vines, stretch across the arid desert region, nurturing humanity's oldest civilizations. Mesopotamia—the cradle of civilization, the focal point of the new era. The history of humanity's struggle against nature unfolds on this sacred land, revealing a colorful world before our eyes. The ancient Greeks called Mesopotamia a paradise everyone yearned for, and the Garden of Eden in the Bible is said to be located here. This book takes us to the birthplace of human civilization—Mesopotamia, the region of the Tigris and Euphrates River Basin, roughly located in modern-day Iraq. On this land, which now appears unattractive, humanity entered the earliest civilization thanks to the nourishment of the two rivers. On this mysterious, ancient land, the world's first cities emerged; the world's first written legal code was issued; the world's earliest writing, schools, and libraries were created; and the world's earliest epics and myths, as well as the prototypes of the earliest biblical stories, were composed. The contributions of the Mesopotamian civilization to humanity are immeasurable. The Nile and Indus civilizations developed under its influence; the Greeks learned mathematics, physics, and philosophy here; the Hebrews acquired theology and spread it widely; and the Arabs studied architecture here, which in turn influenced the entire medieval Europe.