This document discusses the early civilizations that arose in Mesopotamia, also known as the Fertile Crescent and Cradle of Civilization, during the Neolithic period. It mentions important cities of Sumer like Ur, Uruk, Eridu, Lagash, Nippur and Kish. It also briefly introduces cuneiform writing on clay tablets, the Akkadian Empire founded by Sargon, the Code of Hammurabi established by Hammurabi, the Hittite and Chaldean peoples, and the Assyrian civilization.