The Fertile Crescent, Mesopotamia

Stretching from the Nile River in Egypt to the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers in modern Iraq, the Fertile Crescent, deemed the “cradle of civilization”, embraces the birthplace of agriculture, urbanization, writing, trade, science, history and organized religion.

Apart from its literal meaning of a crescent-shaped area with fertile soil, the term “Fertile Crescent” was first conceived by Egyptologist James Henry Breasted in 1916 in his works Ancient Times: A History of the Early World; in his book, he described the fertile crescent region as “approximately a semi-circle, with the open side toward the south, having the west end at the south-east corner of the Mediterranean, the centre directly north of Arabia, and the east end at the north end of the Persian Gulf.”1 Since then, the phrase has been widely used to describe the land, also known as Mesopotamia.

Map of the Mesopotamia region encompassing the Fertile Crescent. 

The Fertile Crescent was first populated in c. 10,000 BCE, which is when the domestication of animals and the cultivation of the land began. By 4500 BCE, agricultural crops were being produced, an irrigation system was fully developed and the cultivation of wool-bearing sheep was practiced widely. Around the same time, the first cities began to rise: Eridu, Sumerians, then Uruk. As civilizations migrated onto the land, further cultivation of wheat, rye, barley and legumes and some of the earliest beer in the world were being produced. In fact, the most ancient evidence of beer brewing was found to be made by the Sumerians, who settled in northern-day Iran. By 2300 BCE, the invention of soap from tallow and ash grew very popular as personal hygiene was assessed to define one’s standing in the community and in the judgement of the gods; which is an addition to the other artifacts that were being created at the time such as wall paintings, vases and other ceramics. 2

The first cultural empire on the Fertile Crescent was established in 2334 BCE, and lasted to 2279 BCE; this was the rule of Sargon of Akkad, also known as Sargon the Great. Through his rule, religious literature, such as hymns, art works and eventually great building projects were completed, such as the construction of roads and the restoration of Babylon. By 2000 BCE, the infamous (from the Bible’s perspective) empire of Babylon controlled the Fertile Crescent. 2

As time progressed, the region became home to many well-known civilizations who built their empire on this middle eastern region; some of its inhabitants consisted of: the Assyrians in 600 BCE, the Neo-Babylonian Chaldean Empire in 580 BCE, the empire of Cyrus the Great in 539 BCE, the Achaemenid Empire, also known as The First Persian Empire, the empire of Alexander the Great in 334 BCE, and the Parthians, among others. Through these realms, architectural marvels of ancient Meopotamia began to arise.

Among these architectural marvels was the alleged construction of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon under the rule of King Nebuchadnezzar II. 2 Made of mud brick, waterproofed with lead, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon earned its title as one of the seven wonders of the world. According to ancient sources, the king had the Hanging Gardens built for his wife Amytis to comfort her homesickness.

Image of possible view of The Hanging Gardens of Babylon(L). Drawing of site plan of the Gardens(R).

Other architectural marvels arose through the progression of civilization in the Fertile Crescent as well. Works such as the Ziggurat during the time period of Sumer and Akkad, the temple of Tell Harmal durng the Babylonian empire, the Khorsabad Palace during the Assyrian empire, amongst many others, exemplified as the architectural progression of ancient civilizations who inhabited The Fertile Crescent.

Today, The Fertile Crescent, has lost most of its beauty and function, as the area of use of the region have decreased from a once covered 5,800-7,700 square miles of fertile marshlands, to a measly 580-770 square miles. Appeals have been made from numerous environmental groups and regional farmers to stop drainage and damming projects, but were unfortunately ignored by the governments of Syria, Turkey and Iraq. 3 Eventually, what was once considered the bountiful, fruitful, luscious land deemed the foundation of civilization and according to biblical studies, where the Garden of Eden was located, has become dry, cracked plains of sun-baked clay.

                           

1 Breasted, James Henry. Ancient Times, a History of the Early World: An Introduction to the Study of Ancient History and the Career of Early Man. Boston: Ginn, 1916. Print. Pg. 101.

2 Mark, Joshua J. "Fertile Crescent." Ancient History Encyclopedia. Ancient History Encyclopedia, 02 Sept. 2009. Web.

3 National Geographic News. "Ancient Fertile Crescent Almost Gone, Satellite Images Show." National Geographic. National Geographic Society, 18 May 2001. Web.