The document summarizes early civilizations in Mesopotamia, including the Sumerian civilization in modern day Iraq, Iran and Syria. Key developments included the invention of the wheel and plow around 3500 BC and the earliest known writing system of cuneiform around 3000 BC. Artifacts of the time included bronze sculptures of Akkadian rulers and a wooden harp with gold and lapis lazuli inlays from Ur dating to 2685 BC. Ziggurats were pyramid structures that served as temples, while the Hanging Gardens and Ishtar Gate were later architectural wonders from Babylon.