New research reveals Sumer’s cities may have risen with the tides, rewriting the origin story of the world’s first ...

A study reveals that Sumer, the cradle of civilization, rose because of natural tidal irrigation that shaped the world’s ...

New research uncovers how ancient tides shaped the rise of Sumer. A newly released study questions established beliefs about ...

The story of how the first cities rose from southern Mesopotamia has long fascinated scientists and historians. Many explanations point to fertile soil, farming, and trade networks as the engines of ...

New research shows that the rise of Sumer was deeply tied to the tidal and sedimentary dynamics of ancient Mesopotamia. Early ...

A recent study is changing the understanding of how urbanization developed in ancient Mesopotamia. According to the analysis, the emergence of the Sumerian civilization was not only the result of ...

Research shows that ancient tides shaped the rise of Sumer, the world’s first civilization. Shifting deltas and tidal rhythms ...

The ancient Sumerians invented cuneiform, shown here on a clay tablet documenting barley rations issued monthly to adults and children. The language may have died out as a result of a 200-year drought ...

Learn how the first civilization in Mesopotamia depended on tides and how it responded when faced with a major environmental challenge. Jack Knudson is an assistant editor for Discover Magazine who ...