Beginning of Essay
Toward the beginning of the Neolithic Revolution( dated approximately 10,000 b.c.), the ancestors of modern man began the great transformation from nomadic gatherers and hunters, to recognizably civilized people. This change is evidenced by the agricultural and ....

Middle of Essay
.... between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, often referred to as the Fertile Crescent. Although this area receives little rain, the sporatic and frequently violent spring-time flooding of the two rivers provide for the replenishment of the regions soil. Harsh deserts border Mesopotamia to the south and west, and perilous mountains separate her northern and eastern extremities from the outside world. In order to survive the perils of their environment, the Mesopotamians devoted much time and effort to the taming their chaotic rivers. As a result they became skilled at the tasks of irrigation and agriculture. This was also necessitated by their inabi ....