Going with the Flow of the Ancient Rivers: Upper Mesopotamia and the Fertile Crescent
The latest research suggests that the roots of civilization are to be found in southeastern Anatolia and adjacent part of the Fertile Crescent. Archaeologists have discovered to their amazement that settled communities with ritual features, possibly temples, containing sculpted monoliths existed here nearly 12,000 years ago, possibly even before the advent of agriculture. The best-known of these sites is Göbekli Tepe, but more research is revealing a complex of similar sites not far away. Much remains to be learned, but now it seems that these late-Pleistocene, pre-pottery sites launched the development of plant cultivation and animal domestication. They apparently mark the beginning of Neolithic culture, which spread widely in all directions over the following millennia, reaching the Atlantic Ocean about 6000 years ago and setting the stage for civilization. Subsequent cultural and historical developments in this part of upper Mesopotamia involve a sequence of cultures and civilizations that are central to human history in the Middle East, the Mediterranean and Europe. Among these cultures are the Hittites, Assyrians, Greeks, Armenians, Persians, Romans, Byzantines, Arabs, Turks, Mongols, and Crusaders. Perhaps nowhere else in the world could we have designed a tour offering an opportunity to experience such a diverse cross-section of human civilization.
Dates: October 6-16, 2026
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Registration Deadline: July 6, 2026. Spots are limited, so register today!