The first civilization in human history was that of the Sumerians emerging in the mid-4th millenium BC, with the appearance of the first cities on the Mesopotamian flood plain... [ more ]
Part 2: The Sumerians
The period after 3500 BC saw the world's first civilization, that of the Sumerians, reach a peak of cultural dynamism as their small city-states competed with one another for dominance... [ more ]
Part 3: The First Empires
Suddenly in the late 3rd millenium BC there burst onto the scene the first of history's great conquerors, Sargon of Akkad. His empire wrought great changes within Mesopotamia, and his career cast a long shadow over later history as ambitious kings strived to emulate his achievments... [ more ]
Part 4: The Babylonian Empire
The centuries after the empires of Akkad and Ur were ones of division and invasion. In due course another great conqueror emerged, who briefly held the Mesopotamian world together. But by now new centres of power and civilization were emerging, and the days of southern Mesopotamian dominance were nearing an end... [ more ]
