IRAQ- The Cradle of Civilization

In the documentary, there has been a discussion on how civilizations have grown independently in
places all over the world. How every civilization has seen the world and changed it in its own way.
Civilization in general is the central idea to recognize history; it creates a distinctive vision towards
life.

Civilization means life in cities and it begins with the description of the Mesopotamian civilization,
located between two rivers, Tigris and Euphrates. The land was turned into that of plenty from the
land of scarcity by two recourses, water and rich alluvial soil which were found there majorly.
However, the greatest resource was the people that gave us the past to study as an entity.

In Lower Mesopotamia, where Sumer's early civilization was situated in what is now southern Iraq,
urban cultures evolved independently. Excavations and discoveries have found ziggurats that show
the presence of life. It is believed that Sumerians may have created the world's first writing system,
architecture, mathematics, trade, and religious life. Along with that, the houses here were made
out of reed since it was a natural resource found in abundance.

One of the first cities, Uruk, is also shown with the city gate. Land is surrounded by broken pottery
and bones, where the archeologist also finds old currency used during the time of Romanian
empire. It also shows the scriptures and writings written, which includes the Epic of Gilgamesh. The
second city, city of Erbil was a mud brick city, gives an idea of how the society lived since the past
here is said to be still alive.

The remains have influenced the architecture and culture that is also today seen in Iraq. All shrines
today in Iraq remind of the old customs and the rituals that are still followed till date and the power
of the written word still remains. It gives us an idea of how it is essential to preserve what people
have left for us.

Stuti Parikh
20BAR070