Download or read book In Search of the First Civilizations written by Michael Wood and published by Random House. This book was released on 2005 with total page 226 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Five thousand years ago there began the most momentous revolution in human history. Starting in Mesopotamia, city civilization emerged for the first time on earth, to be followed in Egypt, India, China and the Americas. The ideals of these ancient civilizations still shape the lives of the majority of mankind. the intriguing question: what is civilization? Did it mean the same to the Chinese, the Indians and the Greeks? What can the values of the ancient cultures teach us today? And do the ideals of the West - a latecomer to civilization - really have universal validity? In this fascinating historical search, Michael Wood explores these ancient cultures, looking for their essential character and their continuing legacy. care to put everything in a large historical perspective, which is actually more disturbing than comforting.