- For the beginning of humanity before writing, see Cradle of Humanity
Cradle of civilization is a title claimed by many regions of the world owning to thier development of a system of writing and a social system. Human history's beginning, as opposed to it's prehistory, has in the past been said to begin with the invention, independently at several sites on Earth, of writing, which created the infrastructure for lasting, accurately transmitted memories and thus for the diffusion and growth of knowledge.[citation needed] Writing, in its turn, had been made necessary in the wake of the Agricultural Revolution, which had given rise to civilization, i.e., to permanent settled communities, which fostered a growing diversity of trades. Various regions claim to be the cradle of civilization.
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Historically, the ancient city states of Mesopotamia are most cited by Western and Middle Eastern scholars as the cradle of civilization. Scholars educated in other parts of the world look at the question differently. There are five rivers that scholars cite as being possible sites for the 'Cradle of Civilization.' They are: the Tigris-Euphrates in modern day Iraq, the Halil roud in modern day Iran, the Nile in Africa, the Indus in South Asia, and the Huang-He-Yangtze in China.
The civilizations that emerged around these rivers are among the earliest currently known attempts humanity made at establishing non-nomadic agrarian societies and they all date back thousands of years. But it is due to the fact that Ubaid, Sumer, Akad, Asyria and Babylon civilizations all emerged around the Tigris-Euphrates, the theory that Mesopotamia is the cradle of civilizatons might be the strongest. It's also due to the fact that Ubaid (5500 B.C.)is the oldest civilization known to exist was in the same area.Ubaid Civilization
Another 'cradle of civilization' is a non-river based area known as Mesoamerica. This is the region where the the Olmec civilization began in about 1500 B.C.
The convergence of the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers produced rich fertile soil and a supply of water for irrigation causing this particular region to be referred to as the Fertile Crescent. However, it is clear that similar conditions in other fertile river locations prompted nomadic people in that given region to form a sedentary, agrarian community and thus, also become a first "Cradle of Civilization." It is not clear where the actual beginning took place or whether there were many beginnings in many locations so that mankind's societal development cannot be attributed to only one primary ___location.