The fertile land stretching from the Mediterranean coast of Syria, Lebanon, and Israel down the valley of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers to the Persian Gulf. The expression was coined by the archaeologist James H. Breasted to describe that part of the Middle East that formed the cradle of early civilizations such as the Assyrian, Sumerian, Phoenician, Babylonian, Hittite, and Hebrew. Archaeological evidence confirms the existence of agricultural communities in the area by 8000 bc.

Fertile Crescent. Bounded by mountains in the north and desert in the south, by the Mediterranean in the west, and the Persian Gulf in the east, the Fertile Crescent is interrupted by desert in Mesopotamia, Syria, and Sinai. Archaeological research suggests that the development of primitive irrigation, made necessary by the dry summers, probably preceded the rise of the ancient civilizations of Babylon, Assyria, and Egypt.

Source: MAPS IN MINUTES™ © RH Publications (1997)