The document discusses the development of early human civilizations in the Ancient Near East. It notes:
- Jericho (c. 8000 BCE) and Çatal Hüyük (c. 6700-5700 BCE) were among the earliest Neolithic settlements, practicing agriculture.
- The Tigris and Euphrates Rivers flooded regularly, depositing rich soil and requiring irrigation systems. Uruk emerged as one of the earliest cities.
- The Sumerians arrived c. 4000 BCE and established independent city-states like Ur and Uruk. They were later conquered by the Akkadians and Amorites.
- The Hittites also established an empire in