For thousands of years, the ancient near east was dominated by two "superpowers":

Egypt: surrounding the Nile River, continuous single Empire (under various dynasties) from circa 3000-500 BCE

Mesopotamia: centered between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers, home to a series of Empires (some of which were):

• Sumerians (3000-2300 BCE)

• Babylonians (1800-1200 BCE)

• Assyrians (1000-700 BCE)

• Neo-Babylonians (650-530 BCE)

• Persians (530-333 BCE)

Together these two centers of Empire were the heart of the earliest civilizations in Eurasia, known as the "Fertile Crescent."

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