The Rise of Civilization: The Art of the Ancient Near East

When humans first gave up the roles of hunter and gatherer for the more predictable life of farmer and gatherer, this revolutionary change in daily life-this Neolithic Revolution as it is known,-first occurred in Mesopotamia, a Greek word that means the "land between the [Tigris and Euphrates] rivers

The ancient near east rediscovered:

As the region that gave birth to three of the world's great modern faiths-Judaism, Christianity, and Islam-the Near East long has been of interest to history and religion students.