Why is the Middle East considered the cradle of civilization?

Question

Shoudln't the title go to Europe? I mean Europe has colonized the word. Most modern countries were founded by Europeans.

Answer 1

the eldest human remains were found in the middle east this is what prompted name

Answer 2

The Cradle Of Civilization

Answer 3

The first civilizations started in the middle east. IE Summerian. These were the first nations to set up farming crops, as opposed to hunter gathering. This led to the creation of cities and led to specialization. Because people were living in cities, with food surplus and job specialization, women could have more children, or more to the point, feed them. This led to women taking up different specializations leading to the concept of mariage.

As well as agriculture and building, writing and mathematics evolved in a written form, the earliest recorded examples being cuniform, inscribed on clay tablets. Written language led to schooling.

The Summarians liked multiples of 36 and sub divisions like 12. This is why there are 24 hrs in a day or 360 degrees in a circle. One could argue that imperial measurement is based upon this.

As well as this, religion took on a more formal format, The Summarians developed the idea of the one god (Baal), as well as guadian angels, or personal/family gods. Abraham was, after all, Summarian.

At the end of the last ice age, the Celts invaded Europe and Northern Turkey and Northern India, destroying or radiacally altering all previous cultures. These Celts lived in large tribes. They developed farming etc, but not the idea of cities etc. They remained this way until conquered by Rome.

Ideas from the middle East, however spread into Europe and Africa. Most of the Mediteranian cultures can draw links Eastward, as their influence was felt. All trade between Africa and Europe would have had to pass through the MIddle East and so this region was always getting the new ideas and concepts from two continents.

By the way. I assume you a Christian, or at least were Christened. Three gueses where Christianity comes from.

Sorry, but our colonial period was simply passing on ideas that we had gained from the Middle East. Even America had enjoyed its own farming civilizations and religions before the Eurpean arrived.

As for colonizing the world. Maybe, but we did not necessarily bring the gift of Eurpean civilization, mearly the European interpretation of Middle Eastern ideas.

Luck

Answer 4

Cradle of civilization means that it where civilization was born. The middle east gets this title because it is there where the first cities were founded, in the region called Mesopotamia (now mostly Iraq). Long before Europe had any real cities Mesopotamia had cities, writig, irrigation systems, art and architecture, astronomy, libraries and other things that came much later to Europe.

Answer 5

Cradle of civilization is a title claimed by many regions of the world, but is most often applied by Western and Middle Eastern educated scholars to the ancient city states of Mesopotamia. 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 rud 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 due to the fact that the Ubaid, Sumer, Akkad, Assyria and Babylon civilizations all emerged around the Tigris-Euphrates, the theory of Mesopotamia being 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. 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.

Answer 6

You must go back much farther in time to when there were no nation states. Really not even cities. It is now believed that the very first human abilities to grow crops as a controlled harvest started there.

It also was where man first domesticated animals.

These two abilities formed the basis for commerce. Commerce draws people together to interact together for a common good. This allowed for man to develop trade with various other areas of such social development that grew out of the ability to harvest and exchange things for profit.

This led to the first real human cities to be built in the middle east. Cities led to leaders. Leaders led to ordered rules. And this led to government.

And that is civilization

Answer 7

The oldest human remains were found in africa, not the middle east.

but when we came out of africa many humans settled in the middle east. the garden of eden was in what is now iraq, as was the tower of babel. of course israel and jerusalem are in that area. most scholars believe that the biblical flood was actually the red sea overflowing.

So europe was not overly powerful for quite a period of time> during that time civilization began in the middle east

eventually europe did get civilized, but the first civilizations were in the middle east.

and in case you are thinking i'm some islamic middle east guy, i'm not, i'm an irish canadian, i just tell it like it is.

Answer 8

As with some of your other answerers, it's because the middle east (Irak, Iran, Mesopotamia) is where the earliest people who stopped being hunter-gatherers and became non-nomadic farmers were. That geographic area also had the world's top 10 nutritionally-rich and easy to grow grains/legumes. Now, because it was easy to stay in one place to grow such nutritious food, people stopped travelling for food and societies were formed. Specialist workers, leaders, writing, tabulating, etc.. all sprang from having nutritious food that was easily grown. It also helped that there were a large-ish number of easily domesticable animals to help with farming. And that the temperature was not difficult for humans to cope with for extended periods of time.

Answer 9

Actually it is not as clear cut as you think as to who colonised most of the world just because of how they are recolonised by culture. But in all reality the middle east has been classed as the holy ground or where life started. so if the middle east is where life started then yes this would make it the cradle or birth place of civilisation.

Answer 10

According to Middle Eastern lore (and Islamic History), the area of Hijaz (present day Saudi Arabia) was where Eve landed on the earth/met with Adam. Since they met here and the first family was started here, so it is called the Cradle of Civilization.

A present day city in Saudi Arabia is named Jeddah. "Jeddah" is an arabic word that means "Grandmother". This is where Eve was believed to have been, hence the name.

Answer 11

Everything well had to begin from somehwere, and as you know the first people to colonise the world was adam and eve, who first appeared according to biblical references in the middle east. So when you really think about it, they were middle eastern and hence the middle eastern colonised the world, as human life's starting point began there.

However i understand what you are saying, however if one looks at it from a present point of view, you are indeed correct, however from a historical point of view it was the middle east.