Earliest cities: Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia:
- wandering nomads drove herds of domestic animals, especially to southern sumer in arabia
- sumer conquered by akkadians c. 2350 BC
- akkadian gods took place of mesopotamia gods and were forced to worship them
- king hammurabi of babylon created series of laws knows as "hammurabi code"
- code included "eye for eye", it regulated marriage, divorce, and other common laws
Hammurabi Code:
1.) If a man has accused another of lying, a "nertu" (death spell) upon him but has not proved it, he shall be put to death - law 1
2.) If he has borne false witness in a civil law case, he shall pay the damages in that suit - law 4
3.) If the seller has in the meantime died, the buyer shall take from his estate five fold the value sued for
 - law 12

Prehistory to civilization

3000 - 1200 BC

Prehistoric era - 

- origins and ages of human beings

- first human around 200,000 years ago

- paleolithic age (old stone age)

- neolithic age (new stone age) - advanced tool making and beginning of agriculture

- initially, humans were part of migratory groups (hunted, fished)

Agricultural revolution - 

- neolithic revolution

- population rose - children could be cared for

- hierarchies appeared in village life; women lowered/confined to domestic duties

- invention of wheel and plow made it possible to produce food for storage

- villagers - polytheistic, worshiped nature, human, and animal gods

Sumer - 

- occupied land between tigris and euphrates 

- population increased drastically due to new irrigation systems

- cities and towns founded - up to 40,000 inhabitants 

- more adequate food storage allowed for diversity in professions: priests, tradesmen, artisans, farmers, politicians

- kings emerged / family dynasties / concept of "city state"

- sumerians invented earliest form of writing, known as "cuneiform"