Bronze Age Civilizations of Mesopotamia

• The Sumerians established one of the oldest civilizations in the world on the flood plains between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. Taking advantage of rich alluvial soil, the Sumerians were the first year-round agricultural society, with the large nearby rivers facilitating irrigation. Mesopotamia proved to be a prime location for empires during the Bronze Age. Sumer was conquered in 2400 B.C. by the Akkadian Empire, which stretched from the Persian Gulf to the Mediterranean, allowing for a broad range of maritime trade. The Babylonian and Assyrian empires, rough contemporaries of each other, succeeded the Akkadian Empire.
  
  

Tigris and Euphrates Rivers

• The Tigris River and the Euphrates River both originate in the highlands of eastern Turkey, within 50 miles of one another. The Tigris flows for 1,150 miles and receives most of its water from tributaries in modern Iraq. The Euphrates, the longest river in southwest Asia at 1,740 miles, receives water from only two tributaries. The two rivers meet and form the Shatt al-Arab river shortly before draining into the Persian Gulf. For early Mesopotamians, the rivers provided water for irrigation and transportation. Seasonal floods would spread river sediments and provide for a fertile growing environment.
  
  

Persian Gulf

• The Persian Gulf is a shallow inland sea of 97,000 square miles which connects to the Indian Ocean. It is situated to the southeast of Mesopotamia. In ancient times, the Persian Gulf would have provided a maritime pathway for trading with societies living along the coast of the Arabian Peninsula and Persia. In later periods, it is conceivable that goods could have come from as far away as the Indian subcontinent. At the Gulf's western end, the Shatt al-Arab river broadens into a large and biologically rich delta.
  
  

Mediterranean Sea

• Mesopotamian civilizations frequently stretched as far as the Mediterranean Sea. Of all the waterways surrounding Mesopotamia, the Mediterranean likely had the greatest influence. Situated at the meeting point of Africa, Europe and Asia, the Mediterranean spawned some of the most advanced ancient societies in Egypt, Greece, Anatolia and the Levant in addition to Mesopotamia. A meeting place of diverse cultures, the Mediterranean facilitated cultural diffusion and exchange, trade and warfare. From the early civilizations in Mesopotamia and Egypt, to the classical period of Greece and the empires of Alexander and Rome, the Mediterranean has had a tremendous influence on the development of human culture and society.