Early West Asian Civilizations
Asia is the largest continent on Earth, connected to both Europe and Africa. It makes up about 30% of land on Earth. In addition to its size, Asia is, and always has been, the most populous continent, currently home to about 60% of the world’s population. Due to these two factors, Asia is frequently divided into regions to make study more manageable.
The region commonly known as the “Middle East” is on the southwestern portion of the continent. Today, it is bordered to the north by the Black and Caspian Seas, to the west by the Mediterranean Sea, to the south by the Red and Arabian Seas, and extends to the eastern border of Iran. Egypt is often considered culturally Middle Eastern. This region, while comparatively small, is culturally unique from the rest of the continent and historically significant as the birthplace of the first major human civilizations, the first cities, and many major world religions. Accordingly, this area is sometimes called the “Fertile Crescent” or the “Cradle of Civilization”.
Over the last several thousand years this part of the world has experienced many different climates. The land is also varied in terms of elevation. These factors have contributed to an environment in which an unusual diversity of plant and animal life thrives. This region is home to the earliest breeds of crops and animals that now exist and help sustain populations worldwide, such as wheat, barley, peas, cows, pigs, and sheep.
Similar to Egypt, the first civilizations of West Asia grew near rivers, specifically the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. The land between these two rivers is known as Mesopotamia and would come to support many flourishing civilizations. West of Mesopotamia, along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, lies modern-day Syria, Lebanon, and Israel. This area, including modern-day Jordan, is sometimes grouped together as “the Levant.” This region is where the world’s first permanent human settlements were set up and is also the location of the earliest domestication of dogs.
One major civilization born in the Levant was that of the Phoenicians. Based along the coast of Lebanon, Phonecia grew into a major overseas trading empire of city-states by 1200 BCE. Some ancient Phoenician cities are still standing and densely populated today, like Byblos and Sidon. The Phoenicians excelled at seafaring and shipbuilding. They are credited as the first Mediterranean people to sail beyond the Strait of Gibraltar (where Europe and Africa are separated by only about 10 miles of water) and possibly traded with people as far away as the British Isles.
In addition to these feats, the Phoenicians developed one of the first alphabets to exist. As they traded, their alphabet spread all around the Mediterranean. It was eventually adopted and tweaked by the Greeks, whose alphabet influenced the Latin alphabet we use today. The Phoenicians remained a formidable independent power until they were conquered by King Cyrus the Great of Persia in 539 BCE.
West of Mesopotamia and the Levant is the modern-day country of Iran. Ancient Iranians began to settle the region, which they called Persis, by about 2,000 BCE in small tribes that frequently warred with each other. These tribes had been briefly united at certain points, but it was not until Cyrus the Great came to power that they merged into the Persian Empire, which would go on to conquer much of the ancient world.
Part of what allowed the Persian Empire to take over and maintain control of huge areas and diverse people was their administration. While there was a supreme king, control over individual regions, cities, and villages was left to locals who were loyal to him. The king arranged for the building of roads to connect the empire, as well as common currency. This allowed people to maintain their particular practices and cultures while enjoying the perks of living in an advanced empire. It was under the Persian Empire that one of the world’s oldest religions, Zoroastrianism, was born