What do the wheel, the law, and belief in a single god have in common? All of these ideas first came to people who lived in the ancient Near East. As if these revolutionary developments weren't enough to make a mark on world history, these ancient innovators also came up with the most fantastic invention of all-writing. The Ancient Near Eastern World is filled with the scribes, potters, sculptors, architects, school children, lawmakers, kings, queens, farmers, and priests who designed and created that world.