The first civilizations

ancient ziggurat

   Civilizatíon is a word which means 'living in a city'. The first citíes grew up in the Fertile Crescent, an area which ran northwards from the Persian Gulf, through present-day Iraq and round to Egypt.
   The earliest civilizations were those of Sumer, Babylonia and Assyria, all in Iraq. The ruins of many of these cities have been found, such as those of Ur, birthplace of Abraham. These cities had ziggurats, great towering temples. The ancient Egyptians carried the ziggurat idea further by building pyramids, huge stone structures which served as tombs.
   Civilization spread gradually northwards through Palestine and the Bible lands. The first civilization in Europe was that of the Minoans, who lived on the island of Crete in the Mediterranean. They are famous for the Minotaur, a mythical monster, and for the dangerous sport of bull-leaping - jumping over a bull by holding on to its horns. The Cretan civilization was closely connected with that of mainland Greece. The Greeks were very clever people. They included some of the greatest architects and sculptors the world has ever known, and also some of the finest thinkers. Philosophy, the science of thought, and democracy, government by the people, were both evolved by the Greeks.
   The Romans, originating at Rome in Italy, were mighty soldiers and conquerors. They built up an empire covering a large part of Europe and North Africa. They were fond of sports such as chariot races, and fights between men known as gladiators. The Chinese civilization is also very old. The Chinese built their Great Wall to keep out invaders at about the time the Romans were creating their empire.