Mesopotamia

One of the distinctive attributes of Mesopotamia being defined as a civilization, and certainly among the first, if not the first, civilization to arrive on the planet, was the combination of advancements that had previously been developed among varying groups of people. For instance, agriculture and domestication of animals, as well as the use of art that had been utilized by some Neolithic cultures now together created a Mesopotamian culture. This and the development of the first evidence of government and writing, such as Gilgamesh and Hammurabi’s Code, is what set Mesopotamia apart from all other societies before it.

Geographically speaking this development was allowed because of a unique blend of resources that many other areas on the globe did not have available to them. Although Mesopotamia was in a very arid and dry climate, it was centered between two great rivers, The Euphrates and the Tigris. This allowed for the creation of irrigation and canals which allowed the people of Mesopotamia to bring water to the driest of land. Also Mesopotamia was already rich in other resources that were able to be domesticated by the Mesopotamians. These included goats, cattle, flax, donkeys, and camel among many others. They provided a readily available food source as well as hard labor. This was essential to such an early development for Mesopotamians as the temperament of these animals and crops made domestication much easier than for some natural resources found in other places on the globe.

One other key factor in relation to Mesopotamia being the “cradle of civilization” was the influence that Mesopotamia had on a very large geographic area. As irrigation made it possible for very large food supplies, the population not only grew very fast, but it also attracted many migrants from other regions. This growth led to dense populations and the emergence of specialized labor. People for the first time had the