Human Legacy Course/The Ancient Near East (4000 BC - 550 BC)
Historians use the term Ancient Near East to refer to a number of cultures that developed in Southwest Asia before about 500 BC. This region has often been called the Cradle of Civilization, because the world’s first civilizations developed there. People of the Ancient Near East were the first to develop writing, to use the wheel, and to form huge empires.
Throughout history, the environment has influenced civilizations, and people have changed the environment. In this week, you will study the relationship that developed between human beings and their environment in the ancient Near East.