During a 15-month tour of Iraq in 2006, I spent about 6 months near the city of Basra. I started researching this area and discovered the history of the Sumerian people. I led other soldiers who said we were at the cradle of civilization, but I was unaware of the rich history of this part of the world. Language, technology, astronomy, government, laws and even taxes originated there. When I discovered this knowledge, I was hooked. I was really excited to be able to write an article on a topic that I'm already so passionate about. The Fertile Crescent, located in the Middle East, is where the first known complex civilizations with a written language were established. The Fertile Crescent was made up of 4 civilizations: Sumer, Akkad, Assyria and Phenicia. Archaeological discoveries bear witness to community life from the sixth millennium BC. During the fourth millennium BCE, two major cities appeared in the south, Uruk and Jemdet. This is considered the cradle of civilization. The emergence of complex societies has led to advances in technology, language, science, and government. Geography Situated within the borders of modern Iraq, with parts in Syria and Turkey, Mesopotamia – means "The land between the rivers", refers to the Tigris and Euphrates. . The ancient Greek words “mesos” meaning between and “potamos” meaning river and the suffix “ia” for a place. The two rivers, also named by the Greeks, were known to the Mesopotamians as Idiglat and Buranum. The river valleys of Mesopotamia consisted of desert, mountains and sea. To the northeast are the mountains of Turkey and Iran; to the south is the Persian Gulf and to the west is the Syrian Desert. The Tigris and the Euphrates...... middle of paper ......ll. The Sumerians were the first known civilization to have a written language. The language known as cuneiform was written using reeds cut from river imprints and made in fresh clay. The Sumerians recorded everything from transaction receipts to the Epic of Creation. The Mesopotamians were lovers of knowledge and great scientists. Their understanding of astronomy and mathematics allowed them to develop a calendar and establish the time of 60 minutes. Some historians believe that the Sumerians knew only a handful of stars and did not draw as much attention to the sky as later civilizations. Other historians believe that they had a great understanding of the stars and even knew about the planets of the solar system. Historian and author Zecharia Sitchin claims that various works of art printed on clay tablets depict the planets of our solar system.