The Dawn of Civilization

As humanity advanced from an age of ignorance to today's highly developed civilization, every step along the way was marked by hardship and sacrifice. From the 35th to the 4th century BCE, in West Asia, the Sumerians were the first to create a highly developed city-state civilization. After the Semitic peoples united Mesopotamia, the Kingdom of Babylon created an even more brilliant civilization, while the Persian Empire forged a vast empire spanning Asia, Africa, and Europe. The industrious Egyptians created a highly civilized world of great pharaohs on the banks of the Nile. In the Aegean, ancient Greek civilization rose later but flourished with vigor, creating the pinnacle of ancient democratic civilization and a brilliant tradition of philosophy and science. After the mysterious disappearance of the river-valley cultures nurtured by the Ganges and Indus, the Aryans arrived and created the Vedic civilization.