A region in Western Asia, and includes the comparatively fertile regions of Mesopotamia and the Levant, delimited by the dry climate of the Syrian Desert to the south and the Anatolian highlands to the north. The region is considered the cradle of civilization, saw the development of the earliest human civilizations, and is the birthplace of writing and the wheel. Modern-day countries with significant territory within the Fertile Crescent are Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, and the Palestine territories and Jordan, besides the southeastern fringe of Turkey and the western fringe of Iran.

Paintings made with the fingers and palms of the hands rather than with a brush or other implement.

see phosphene.