美索不达米亚平原

“世界上最早的文字创造者”这一殊荣到底花落谁家，由美索不达米亚平原（Mesopotamia）的苏美尔人（Sumerians）、位于今巴基斯坦（Pakistan）境内的哈拉帕人（Harappa）以及古埃及的科密特人（Kemites）进行激烈的角逐。

There was a horse race between the Sumerians in Mesopotamia , the Harappa in present day Pakistan and the Kemites in Egypt to be the first to formulate a written language .

古特曼前臂所纹的符号和标记是在古代美索不达米亚平原（Mesopotamia）的幼发拉底河（EuphratesRiver）发现的，那里是现在的伊拉克、叙利亚、科威特和土耳其的交界处，这个地区是广为人知的文明摇篮。

The inked symbols and markings on Gutman 's forearm were found near the Euphrates River in ancient Mesopotamia - where modern-day Iraq , Syria , Kuwait , Iran and Turkey share borders - an area that is widely known as the cradle of civilization .

这使得南亚的书写起源时间与同时代的古埃及与美索不达米亚平原相近。

This would make the origins of writing in South Asia approximately the same time as in ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia .

早期的阿切曼尼在公元前六世纪征服了美索不达米亚平原，并且再次遣返所有的人民服从于巴比伦的统治，他们当中包括犹太人。

The early Achaemenids conquered Mesopotamian lands in the6th century b.c. , and re-patriated all the peoples subject to Babylonian rule , the Jews among them .

古巴比伦位于今伊拉克共和国境内。这座美索不达米亚平原孕育出来的城市因其令人惊叹的空中花园而世界闻名。

Famous for its " wondrous " hanging gardens , the ancient Mesopotamian city of Babylon had as turbulent a history as its location in present-day Iraq suggests .

现在已知的被公认为世上最古老的地图绘制于公元前3800年，这幅地图描绘的是流经伊拉克北部的美索不达米亚平原的幼发拉底河。

The oldest known map in the accepted sense of the word was drawn about 3800 BC , and represents the river Euphrates flowing through northern Mesopotamia , Iraq .