Known as the cradle of civilization, Mesopotamia is home to the oldest cities and empires. Literary translated as "the land between two rivers," the first settlements began to spring up on Mesopotamia as far back as 12,000 BCE, and the first city, Sumer, is dated to 4,000 BCE. Mesopotamia is responsible for the earliest forms of laws, writings, methods of warfare, pyramids (ziggurats), and even the first work of literature (The Epic of Gilgamesh). Your task will be to provide a brief introduction to Mesopotamia, so that the class may learn from your research.