Following the post-glacial flooding of the Persian Gulf basin, debris from the
Tigris–Euphrates river formed a substantial delta, creating most of the land in present-day Kuwait and establishing the present coastlines. Historically, northern Kuwait was part of ancient
Mesopotamia. One of the earliest evidence of human habitation in southern Kuwait dates back 8000 B.C. where
Mesolithic tools were found in
Burgan. The Neolithic inhabitants of Kuwait were among the world's earliest maritime traders. During the
Ubaid period (6500 BC), Kuwait was the central site of interaction between the peoples of
Mesopotamia and Neolithic
Eastern Arabia, including
Bahra 1 and
site H3 in
Subiya. One of the world's earliest reed-boats was discovered at
site H3 dating back to the Ubaid period. In 4000 BC until 2000 BC, Kuwait Bay was home to the
Dilmun civilization. Dilmun's control of the bay of Kuwait included mainland
Akkaz, and
Failaka. At its peak in 2000 BC, the Dilmun empire controlled the trade routes from Mesopotamia to India and the
Indus Valley civilization. Dilmun's commercial power began to decline after 1800 BC. Piracy flourished throughout the region during Dilmun's decline. After 600 BC, the Babylonians added Dilmun to their empire. At the time of
Alexander the Great, the mouth of the
Euphrates River was located in northern Kuwait. Failaka was located 15 kilometers from the mouth of the Euphrates river. There are
Aramaic inscriptions that testify Achaemenid presence. In 127 BC, Kuwait was part of the
Parthian Empire and the kingdom of
Characene was established around
Teredon in present-day Kuwait. Characene was centered in the region encompassing southern Mesopotamia, Characene coins were discovered in Akkaz, Umm an Namil, and Failaka. A busy Parthian era Characene commercial station existed in Kuwait. The earliest recorded mention of Kuwait was in 150 AD in the geographical treatise
Geography by Greek scholar
Ptolemy. Ptolemy mentioned the Bay of Kuwait as
Hieros Kolpos (
Sacer Sinus in the Latin versions).
Juris Zarins argued that the Garden of Eden was situated at the head of the Persian Gulf (present-day Kuwait), where the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers run into the sea, from his research on this area using information from many different sources, including
LANDSAT images from space. His suggestion about the Pishon River was supported by James A. Sauer of the
American Center of Oriental Research. Sauer made an argument from geology and history that Pishon River was the now-defunct Kuwait River. With the aid of satellite photos,
Farouk El-Baz traced the dry channel from Kuwait up the Wadi Al-Batin. ==See also==