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Beginning of a Civilization Essay

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Modern civilization as we know it began as a group of shabby huts in the ancient region of Mesopotamia. Flowing from mountains in modern Turkey, the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers created an environment favorable for settlement. Wandering groups of people happened to come upon this fertile land. The warm temperatures allowed a permanent civilization to begin. Mesopotamia is a region which has a huge variety of geography combined into one expanse of land. There are rivers, valleys, mountains, floodplains, deserts, and marshes splotched around the region. However, the most important landmarks of them all are the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. Without their annual flood, ancient humans would have had difficulty in surviving. As well as …show more content…

Along with the annual flooding, there was the advantage of warm temperatures which allowed for a variety of crop growth. Mesopotamians planted grains like wheat, rice, and barley and further improved their diet. After centuries of tedious labor by people, a clever idea was brought forth: the domestication of animals for farming purposes. Soon, farmers were domesticating sheep, goats, and horses to perform the labor. By using such techniques, farmers were often able to get twice as many crops as they had before, and Mesopotamia began to have food surpluses. The food surpluses were ultimately the factors that led Mesopotamia to experience remarkable development. Strong developments had to be made so that Mesopotamia could achieve success in its society. Thanks to advanced irrigation and farming techniques, there were food surpluses. Many farmers changed jobs to begin a career which would generate greater earnings. This ultimately helped the economy of ancient Mesopotamia. Eventually, people began to gain large amounts of money by selling crops and objects made by craftsmen. The wealthy and poor were separated into rural and urban areas. To keep up with a developing society, Mesopotamia made a government. Laws and tax collection systems were created to fund the government. In addition, the wealthy people made ancient learning centers, where scholars taught modern subjects such as mathematics and literature. To keep track of events, a writing system named

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