The Sumerians Author:C. Leonard Woolley Professor Woolley, one of the world's formeost arhaeologists, shows quite clearly that when Egyptian civiliation began the civilization of the Sumerians had already flourished for at least 2000 years. The idea that Egypt was the earliest iviliatiaon has been entirely explodyed. The Sumerians had reached a very high level of culture by 3500b.c. a... more »nd may be said with some justice o be the forerunners of all the Old World civilizations of Egypt, assyria, Asia Minor, crete and Greece.« less