Everyone has heard of the Ancient Greeks and Romans but as this post suggests there were many other civilisations fundamental to human achievement and advancement – the domestication of rich in the Yellow River Valley, medicine from Egypt, and so the list goes on.
As a history buff, particularly ancient history, I’ve always been especially interested in the empires and cultures that started it all. I don’t mean to downplay the important influence of Greece, Persia, the independent New World centers of Norte Chico and the Olmec, or any of the many other civilizations. Each of them made important cultural, spiritual, and scientific contributions to our modern world, but the so-named Cradles of Civilization in Egypt, India, China, and Mesopotamia, stand a little apart. The combination of reliable water supplies, rich soils, and the need for irrigation to support rapidly growing populations begat (never thought I’d use that word in a blog) the need for organization and enabled specialization. The development of these two aspects in their societies led directly to the creation of civilizations. Organization initiated the first governments and specialization encouraged the rise of science and culture.
Hammurabi’s throne
Okay, there’s a…
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Library of Erana 