ABSTRACT
Throughout history the Middle East has been an important focus of human affairs. Soon after the last glacial period (1200-1500 BC) within the region, the settled occupation of the land with the cultivation of crops occurred. This change from nomadic hunter gathering is recognised as the fi rst real stage in civilisation. With the increasing organisation necessary to establish largescale cultivation and the accumulation of surplus wealth, the fi rst cities and the fi rst recognisable political units appeared in the basins of the Tigris-Euphrates and the Nile.
