Mesopotamia (Sumer/Babylon)

Mesopotamia, encompassing civilizations like Sumer, Babylon, and Assyria, is credited with humanity's earliest written code of laws, Hammurabi's Code, which comprises 282 laws. This region also developed cuneiform, the first known writing system, around 3400 BC, marking the beginning of recorded history. Mesopotamian mathematicians developed a base-60 system, which continues to be used today for measuring time and angles. The Epic of Gilgamesh, widely considered the oldest known surviving work of literature, also originated here, predating Homer's epics by over 1,500 years. While Ancient Egypt excelled in monumental architecture, Mesopotamia's innovations in urban living with cities like Ur and Babylon, organized religion, and legal frameworks laid fundamental groundwork for all subsequent civilizations. Hammurabi's Code, for instance, predates Rome's Twelve Tables by over 1,200 years.