The Fertile Crescent is a catch-all phrase for an area of land around the Mediterreanean Sea which historians believe it is the first and one of the most important
cradles of civilization historically. It is located in
the Middle East of the
Eurasian continent, and holds tremendous historical significance to most every civilization on this planet, because about two millennia ago it's where the Roman Empire was taking control, it's where people like
Muhammed and
Jesus Christ came from, and it is believed that events in the Christian
Bible, dating back to at least
Deuteronomy and possibly further back, actually transpired. This is where historians believe social and agricultural inventions and concepts were first conceived and enacted. It's the origin of the modern alphabet, and is where many
religions were forged. It is the birthplace of most early movers and shakers, from
Greek philosophers to
Roman Catholic saints and
popes.
Civilizations which evolved from the Fertile Crescent include the Assyrians, Sumerians, Canaanites, Philistines, Phoenicians aka Carthaginians, Hyksos, Akkadians, Hittites, Hurrians, Mitanni, Kassites, Arameans, Amorites, Seleucids, Nabateans, Lakhmids, Ghassanids, Umayyads, Abbasids, and others.
The Fertile Crescent stretches from the
Taurus Mountains in the North to the
Arabian Desert in the South. Originally known as the
Syrian Sea, the Eastern part of the Mediterranean Sea is a border as are the
Zagros Mountains to the west and the
Gulf of Fao in the East. Though they were called dramatically different names in some cases centuries and millennia ago, in the 21st century such countries as
Syria,
Lebanon,
Cyprus,
Jordan,
Palestine,
Iraq,
Kuwait,
Cilicia,
Ahwaz, and
Sinai are all part of what was and for some people still is considered the where the seed of
humanity was first planted.
Because of the importance this land holds in the hearts and minds of so many people on this planet, the Fertile Crescent has also been the primary location for more and bloodier wars than any other place in recorded history. People are probably fighting over it today, even as you read these words.