First Civilizations

This atlas focuses on the Ancient Near East, and particularly the area known as Mesopotamia, the acknowledged "cradle of civilization". It treats the story of the first civilizations of this area both historically and culturally, and presents the key steps of the rise to civilization - farming, urbanization, writing, development of technology, and more. Maps and reconstructions, supported by explanatory text, guide the reader through the history of the area and help to bulid up a picture of what life was like at the time.