Canaan

THE FERTILE CRESCENT I. Geography A. The Fertile Crescent begins at the Isthmus of Suez, extends northward along the eastern end of the Mediterranean and swings in a half circle south of the highlands of Asia Minor and Armenia. It then curves southeastward ending at the Persian Gulf. B. Because it is shaped like a new moon, it is called a Crescent. C. The Fertile Crescent, like Egypt, was surrounded by deserts and mountains. 1. The areas were not as barren as those around Egypt. 2. Tribes of herdsmen lived in these areas and from time to time invaded the Fertile Crescent. D. The Tigris-Euphrates River Valley was the site of the earliest civilizations. 1. The Valley had various names throughout history. a. The Greeks called the northern part Mesopotamia (?between rivers?)