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The
Development of Mesopotamia Page 2
The Climate
While some archaeologists have downplayed the significance of
the climate change in the Mesopotamian landscape, the facts based
on archeological evidence are hard to ignore. Archeological record
shows a distinct change in climate from around 4600 B.C. to at
least a millennium later. We know that during this time rainfall
became very irregular, the environment became much drier, and
thus the Mesopotamian floodplain became an important area of stability
for inhabitants (Fagan 2001: 395). Naturally, people moved from
desolate lands to a habitat that could support their living needs.
In the case of Mesopotamia, the fertile floodplain was the habitat
that could support their needs the best. As the writing system
of the period was just beginning to appear at this time, we have
no written evidence to suggest that this was the initial factor
of Mesopotamian civilization; however, it is hard to ignore the
fact that "the first cities in southern Mesopotamia formed
between 3500 and 3000 B.C., soon after local sea levels stabilized"
(Fagan 2001: 395). More centralized populations and stabilized
climates would help give way to another major force in the system,
the organization and development of a large-scale irrigation system.
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