The Fertile Crescent is a crescent-shaped region in the Middle East, spanning modern-day Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Palestine, and Jordan, together with the northern region of Kuwait, the southeastern region of Turkey, and the western portion of Egypt. It is believed to be the very first region where settled farming emerged as people started the process of clearance and modification of natural vegetation to grow newly domesticated plants as crops. Early human civilizations such as Sumer in Mesopotamia flourished as a result of the technological advances in the region, including the development of agriculture and the use of irrigation, writing, the wheel, and glass, most emerging first in Mesopotamia. The term "Fertile Crescent" was coined and popularized by archaeologist James Henry Breasted in Outlines of European History (1914) and Ancient Times, A History of the Early World (1916) . The Fertile Crescent is often referred to as “the cradle of civilization” and is archaeologically significant, yielding discoveries that fundamentally shape our understanding of ancient life.