1 The ancient country of Iraq is in the deserts of the Middle East. It was the location of several great empires from thousands of years ago.
2 The history of the world civilization starts with one of these empires -- Sumer. Sumer was first settled about 6,000 years ago. Most of the people of Sumer, called Sumerians, were farmers. They raised cattle and worked the soil to grow wheat, barley, dates, and vegetables.
3 Sumerians also built walls around their cities and built mud-brick houses. They also learned how to trade goods with their neighbors. Sumerians were inventors of many important things. One of the most important of them was the wheel, first made of solid wood.
4 Over the next 500 years, trade grew and more of the population became involved in specialized crafts. This led to the growth of larger and more complex towns, and finally to the settlement of the first city, Ur, in 3500 BC. This city was also known as the 'City of Abraham' in the Old Testament of the Bible.
5 It was here, in the ancient Middle East, where people first learned to read and write. About 3100 BC, the Sumerians developed a system for communicating by writing down spoken words.
