World's history (part 3): Mesopotamia(3500 BCE),[37][38]followed byEgyptian civilizationalong the Nile(3000 BCE)[12]and theHarappan civilizationin theIndus Valley(in present-dayPakistan; 2500 BCE). [39][40]These societies developed a number of unifying characteristics, including a central government, a complex economy and social structure, sophisticated language and writing systems, and distinct cultures and religions. Writingwas another pivotal development in humanhistory, as it made the administration of cities and expression of ideas far easier. As complex civilizations arose, so did complexreligions, and the first of their kind apparently originated during this period.[41][42][43] Inanimate entities such as the Sun, Moon, Earth, sky, and sea were often deified.[44]Shrinesdeveloped, which evolved intotemple establishments, complete with a complex hierarchy ofpriests and priestessesand other functionaries. Typical of the Neolithic was a tendency to worship anthropomorphicdeities. Among the earliest surviving written religious scriptures are the EgyptianPyramid Texts, the oldest of which date to between 2400 and 2300 BCE. [45]Some archaeologists suggest, based on ongoing excavations of a temple complex at Göbekli Tepe("Potbelly Hill") in southern Turkey, dating from c. 11,500 years ago, that religion predated theAgricultural Revolution rather than following in its wake, as had generally been assumed.[46] Antiquity [edit] Main article:Ancienthistory Timeline[edit] Dates are approximate, consult particular article for details Regions not included in the timeline include: SouthernAfrica, theCaribbean,Central Asia, NorthernEurope, Korea,Japan,Oceania,Siberia,Southeast Asia, andTaiwan. Cradles of civilization[edit] Ancient Egyptiansbuilt theGreat Pyramids of Giza . Main articles:Bronze AgeandIron Age TheBronze Ageis part of thethree-age system(Stone Age,Bronze Age,Iron Age) that for some parts of the world describes effectively the earlyhistoryof civilization. During this era the most fertile areas of the world saw city statesand the first civilizations develop. These were concentrated in fertile river valleys: the TigrisandEuphratesinMesopotamia, theNileinEgypt, the Indusin theIndian subcontinent, and theYangtzeandYellow RiverinChina. Sumer, located inMesopotamia, is the first known complex civilization, developing the firstcity-states in the 4th millennium BCE. It was in these cities that the earliest known form of writing, cuneiform script, appeared c. 3000 BCE. Cuneiform writing began as a system ofpictographs. These pictorial representations eventually became simplified and more abstract. Cuneiform texts were written on clay tablets, on whichsymbolswere drawn with a bluntreedused as a stylus. Writing made the administration of a large state far easier. Transport was facilitated by waterways—by rivers and seas. TheMediterranean Sea, at the juncture of three continents, fostered the projection of military power and the exchange of goods, ideas and inventions. This era also saw new land technologies, such as horse-based cavalry and chariots, that allowed armies to move faster. These developments led to the rise ofempires. Such extensive civilizations brought peace and stability over wider areas. The first empire, controlling a large territory and many cities, developed in Egypt with the unification of Lower and Upper Egyptc. 3100 BCE. Over the next millennia, other river valleys would see monarchical empires rise to power. In the 24th century BCE, the Akkadian Empirearose in Mesopotamia;[47]and c. 2200 BCE theXia Dynastyarose in China