The 10 Oldest Ancient Civilizations

While the earliest hominid or human like species first appeared around 2 million years ago, early homo sapiens, or modern humans, are relatively young – they first appeared in Africa around 200,00 years ago. For thousands of years after homo sapiens first appeared, early man laid the foundations for what would eventually become human civilization by developing agriculture, weaponry, art, social structure, and politics. Although the Mesopotamians are typically considered the very first urban civilization in the world, several earlier peoples developed complex societies and cultures that can also be classified as civilizations and they have been included on this list.