The Sumerians are thought to have formed the first human civilization in world history. They lived in southern Mesopotamia, between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers in the Middle East. Cradle of Civilization. Many historians think that cities and towns were first formed in Sumer around 5000 BC.
At noon, on March 21 and September 23rd are the vernal and autumnal equinoxes. The sun is directly overhead at the equator at these times. On June 22nd is the summer solstice, in the Northern Hemisphere. The sun is at the 23.5 degrees Northern latitude.
At the equator, the noon sun is straight overhead on the equinoxes. And after you pass 23.5Â° south latitude (the Tropic of Capricorn), the noon sun is always in the north. Much farther south is the Antarctic Circle, where the sun never quite rises on the June solstice and never quite sets on the December solstice. By the June solstice (usually June 21), the sun rises considerably north of due east and sets considerably north of due west. 2  For mid-northern observers, the noon sun is still toward the south, but much higher in the sky than at the equinoxes.