History of Mesopotamia - Ancient Culture, Civilization, Art: Questions as to what ancient Mesopotamian civilization did and did not accomplish, how it influenced its neighbours and successors, and what its legacy has transmitted are posed from the standpoint of modern civilization and are in part coloured by ethical overtones, so that the answers can only be relative. Modern scholars assume the ability to assess the sum total of an “ancient Mesopotamian civilization”; but, since the ... It was home to some of the world’s earliest cities, governments, writing systems, and empires. Located between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in what is now modern-day Iraq, Mesopotamia gave rise to powerful cultures like the Sumerians, Akkadians, Babylonians, and Assyrians. History of Mesopotamia - Ancient Cities, Sumerians, Tigris-Euphrates: The Late Neolithic Period and the Chalcolithic Period. Between about 10,000 bce and the genesis of large permanent settlements, the following stages of development are distinguishable, some of which run parallel: (1) the change to sedentary life, or the transition from continual or seasonal change of abode, characteristic of hunter-gatherers and the earliest cattle breeders, to life in one place over a period of several ... It is recognised as the cradle of some of the world's earliest civilizations. [7] The Sumerians and Akkadians, each originating from different areas, dominated Mesopotamia from the beginning of recorded history (c. 3100 BC) to the fall of Babylon in 539 BC.