mesopotamia civilizations developed in the fertile valley between the tigris and euphrates rivers.
mesopotamia civilizations developed in the fertile valley between the tigris and euphrates rivers.
which civilizations developed in the fertile valley between the tigris and euphrates rivers?
mesopotamia
around 10,200 bc the first fully developed neolithic cultures belonging to the phases pre-pottery neolithic a (ppna) and pre-pottery neolithic b (7600 to 6000 bc) appeared in the fertile crescent and from there spread eastwards and westwards. one of the most notable ppna settlements is jericho in the levant region, thought to be the world's first town (settled around 8500 bc and fortified around 6800 bc). in mesopotamia, the convergence of the tigris and euphrates rivers produced rich fertile soil and a supply of water for irrigation. the civilizations that emerged around these rivers are among the earliest known non-nomadic agrarian societies. it is because of this that the fertile crescent region, and mesopotamia in particular, are often referred to as the cradle of civilization. the period known as the ubaid period (c. 6500 to 3800 bc) is the earliest known period on the alluvial plain, although it is likely earlier periods exist obscured under the alluvium. it was during the ubaid period that the movement towards urbanization began. agriculture and animal husbandry were widely practiced in sedentary communities, particularly in northern mesopotamia, and intensive irrigated hydraulic agriculture began to be practiced in the south.
cradle of civilization
the marshlands were an extensive natural wetlands ecosystem which developed over thousands of years in the tigris–euphrates basin and once covered 15–20,000 square kilometers. according to the united nations environmental program and the amar charitable foundation, between 84% and 90% of the marshes have been destroyed since the 1970s. in 1994, 60 percent of the wetlands were destroyed by hussein's regime – drained to permit military access and greater political control of the native marsh arabs. canals, dykes and dams were built routing the water of the tigris and euphrates rivers around the marshes, instead of allowing water to move slowly through the marshland. after part of the euphrates was dried up due to re-routing its water to the sea, a dam was built so water could not back up from the tigris and sustain the former marshland. some marshlands were burned and pipes buried underground helped to carry away water for quicker drying.
tigris–euphrates river system