Middle Eastern Civilizations

The early history of civilization is dominated by those cultures we discussed in Chapter two. However, there were a number of other important civilizations that emerged during this same time period. These smaller civilizations were heavily influenced by their larger and more powerful neighbors.



Trade routes brought distant travelers into new lands. With them they carried the technologies, ideas, and cultures from one land to another. Sitting in the middle of these trade routes were the civilizations of the Middle East.