Civilization Starters This TechTour has a Student View and Lesson Plans associated with it. As the hunter-gatherers of the ancient world began to settle down, domesticate plants and animals, and become proficient agriculturalists, the world’s first civilizations emerged. Each of these first civilizations—Egypt, Mesopotamia, Indus Valley and Huang He Valley—shared key geographic locations. Working in teams, students will be required to identify and explain the geographic characteristics that distinguish these ancient civilizations. Working individually, students will explore one specific geographic factor that influenced the development of these civilizations.