History: Fertile Crescent

Asia Minor and Middle East, North of Arabian Peninsula- A crescent shaped area of fertile land in the Middle East. The civilizations of Sumeria, Phoenicia, Assyria, and Babylon developed in the Fertile Crescent. The Fertile Crescent surrounds the flood planes of the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. The constant flooding of these rivers results in a fertile soil that encourages the establishment of agrarian communities, and thus nurtures civilization. This region is also known to be home to wild plant and animal species which early humans domesticated.