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"The roots of our own urban civilization lie in the remarkable developments that took place in the third millennium B.C. This was a time of astonishing creativity as city-states and empires emerged in a vast area stretching from the Mediterranean to the Indus Valley. Although remote in time and place, this urban revolution, first represented by the formation of cities in southern Mesopotamia (ancient Iraq), must be looked upon as one of humanity's defining moments. These complex centers of civilization, such as the city of Uruk, which arose toward the end of the fourth millennium B.C. in the fertile plains bordered by the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, stimulated great inventions, such as writing, and witnessed a flowering of artistic expression. Much of this art demonstrated devotion to the gods and celebrated the power of kings. The growth of cities and powerful ruling families led to a demand for luxury items. These were fashioned from materials obtained largely from abroad and were destined for temples and tombs such as the famous Royal Graves at Ur (ca. 2500 B.C.). Partly as a result of these advances in Mesopotamia, other major civilizations developed along the great maritime and land routes that connected them to one another."

"The roots of our own urban civilization lie in the remarkable developments that took place in the third millennium B.C. This was a time of astonishing creativity as city-states and empires emerged in a vast area stretching from the Mediterranean to the Indus Valley. Although remote in time and place, this urban revolution, first represented by the formation of cities in southern Mesopotamia (ancient Iraq), must be looked upon as one of humanity's defining moments. These complex centers of civilization, such as the city of Uruk, which arose toward the end of the fourth millennium B.C. in the fertile plains bordered by the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, stimulated great inventions, such as writing, and witnessed a flowering of artistic expression. Much of this art demonstrated devotion to the gods and celebrated the power of kings. The growth of cities and powerful ruling families led to a demand for luxury items. These were fashioned from materials obtained largely from abroad and were destined for temples and tombs such as the famous Royal Graves at Ur (ca. 2500 B.C.). Partly as a result of these advances in Mesopotamia, other major civilizations developed along the great maritime and land routes that connected them to one another."

"He then invited Cortés to climb the Templo Mayor to get a better view. Within two years of that moment, Moctezuma's great city was gone. Only now are archaeologists learning how much of it actually survived and is sitting beneath the paving stones and buildings that make up Mexico City today."

"Mesopotamia, an ancient Greek term meaning "the land between rivers," is considered to be the cradle of civilization because this is where we find the origins of agriculture, written language, and cities.Chosen from the Mesopotamian collection of the Oriental Institute Museum of the University of Chicago, this website tells the story of ancient Mesopotamia now present-day Iraq - a story shared by all humans. Learn more about Life in Mesopotamia."

"Mesopotamia, an ancient Greek term meaning "the land between rivers," is considered to be the cradle of civilization because this is where we find the origins of agriculture, written language, and cities.Chosen from the Mesopotamian collection of the Oriental Institute Museum of the University of Chicago, this website tells the story of ancient Mesopotamia now present-day Iraq - a story shared by all humans. Learn more about Life in Mesopotamia."

"Mesopotamia, an ancient Greek term meaning "the land between rivers," is considered to be the cradle of civilization because this is where we find the origins of agriculture, written language, and cities.Chosen from the Mesopotamian collection of the Oriental Institute Museum of the University of Chicago, this website tells the story of ancient Mesopotamia now present-day Iraq - a story shared by all humans. Learn more about Life in Mesopotamia."

"The Hittites, who spoke an Indo-European language (a family of languages that includes English), dominated much of Anatolia and neighboring regions between about 1650 and 1200 B.C. It has been suggested that groups speaking languages related to Hittite first entered Anatolia at the end of the third millennium B.C., but the Hittites first rose to prominence around 1750 B.C., when King Pithana and his son Anitta captured the important city of Kanesh as well as a number of other city-states, including that of Hattusha (modern Bogazköy)."

"By 3,000 BC, the Mesopotamians had already invented the wheel, developed writing, and created the world's first cities and monumental architecture. Find out more about the many aspects of Mesopotamia's rich legacy."

"By 3,000 BC, the Mesopotamians had already invented the wheel, developed writing, and created the world's first cities and monumental architecture. Find out more about the many aspects of Mesopotamia's rich legacy."

Human migration and social change are closely linked to changes in Earth's climate. Climate shifts have both helped to foster the rise of civilizations and contributed to their demises. Over the last few decades, proxy records (tree rings, sediment cores, mineral deposits, etc.) of ancient climates and past climate shifts have become available. Studies of these records show that past periods of significant climate change often correspond to periods of social change across remote parts of the globe. While no universally accepted definition for civilization exists, here civilizations are defined as societies that rely on permanent infrastructure (i.e. cities, granaries and irrigation systems) and intensive cultivation of crops for their survival, meaning that they cannot respond to climate change simply by moving to where the weather is better nor can they readily switch to different food sources.

Human migration and social change are closely linked to changes in Earth's climate. Climate shifts have both helped to foster the rise of civilizations and contributed to their demises. Over the last few decades, proxy records (tree rings, sediment cores, mineral deposits, etc.) of ancient climates and past climate shifts have become available. Studies of these records show that past periods of significant climate change often correspond to periods of social change across remote parts of the globe. While no universally accepted definition for civilization exists, here civilizations are defined as societies that rely on permanent infrastructure (i.e. cities, granaries and irrigation systems) and intensive cultivation of crops for their survival, meaning that they cannot respond to climate change simply by moving to where the weather is better nor can they readily switch to different food sources.

"Mythology is everywhere! Daily you run across instances of words, city names, companies, literary allusions - and many planets and constellations - that take their name or borrow their theme from Greek myths. Because of your many requests, I have provided a couple of thousand excellent examples to help you get started in your research. Remember, you're surrounded by mythology in today's society, whether you realize it or not!"

"Digital Augustan Rome is an online interactive map of ancient Rome, as it looked around A.D. 14. The map is an accurate depiction of the size, location, and orientation of the various structures, roads, and water systems of the city at a pivotal phase in its transformation into the imperial capital."

"Before we'd even become Homo sapiens sapiens, humans lived everywhere from South Africa up to Britain and over to China. There were mountain people, coastal people, people who hunted woolly mammoths, and people who'd never seen a woolly mammoth in their lives. Just like we see with distinct groups of other animals, these differences of experience, adaptation, and expectation would have made for real cultural and even physical differences between populations. A few hundred thousand years later, as groups began to settle down and build cities they often enclosed them within massive walls. The ways different cultures interact across those walls could be seen as the central story of civilization. Top archaeologists from around the world have been exploring that story for the past week in public presentations and conversations at the 2015 Dialogue of Civilizations in Beijing."