TEHRAN – Iran will be hosting the seventh ministerial meeting of the Ancient Civilizations Forum, tourism minister Ezzatollah Zarghami said on Sunday.

The next ministerial meeting of the Forum of Ancient Civilizations will be held in Tehran in 1402 (the next Iranian calendar year that starts on March 21), Zarghami said, in an address to an archaeology conference.

The forum will bring together ministers and representatives from Iran, Greece, China, Bolivia, Egypt, Iraq, Italy, and Peru, with the addition of Armenia, which are cradles of ancient civilizations.

The Ancient Civilizations Forum aims to promote international exchanges, strengthen multilateral cooperation, safeguard cultural diversity and world culture, uphold civilization's legacy and advancement and arouse the vitality of ancient civilization's wisdom in order to offer a solution to issues facing modern society.

The term civilization essentially describes the developmental stage at which people can live in peace in groups. The earliest safe and settled settlements that served as the foundation for later states, nations, and empires are specifically referred to as "ancient civilizations.".

Ancient history began with the invention of writing around 3100 BC, and it spanned more than 35 centuries. Even though humanity existed before the written word, writing has made it possible to preserve a historical record.

Along with written accounts and carved inscriptions, the work of archaeologists is the primary source of knowledge about ancient peoples. The majority of significant archaeological discoveries have been made over the past two centuries.

AFM