Mesopotamia, ancient civilization. Mesopotamia — a country where there was the world's oldest civilization, which lasted approx. 25 centuries, starting with the establishment of the script and ending with the conquest of Babylon by the Persians in 539 BC Geographical location."Mesopotamia" — means "land between the rivers" (between the Euphrates and the Tigris). Now under Mesopotamia refers primarily to the valley in the lower reaches of these rivers, and adds to it the land east of the Tigris and the west of the Euphrates. In general, this region coincides with the territory of present-day Iraq, except for mountainous regions along the borders of this country with Iran and Turkey.Most of the elongated valley, especially the whole Lower Mesopotamia, for a long time covered with sediments brought by the two rivers from Armenia. Over time, the fertile alluvial soil began to attract people from other regions. For a long time have learned to compensate for the poor cultivators precipitation creation of irrigation facilities. The lack of stone and wood boosted trade with the lands rich in these natural resources. Tigris and Euphrates proved convenient waterway, connects the Persian Gulf with Anatolia and the Mediterranean. Geographical location and natural conditions allowed the valley to become the center of attraction of people and the area of trade.
