This was fascinating, Prateek!

Two questions:

(1) what was it about the general Pontic steppes area (and over into "stan" countries) so congenial to so many aspects of culture and civilization, especially versus Egypt, Mesopotamia, Indus (or even Anatolia)?

(2) It sounds like there's some contention about who most deserves the title "cradle of civilization" and in particular, Vinca versus Mesopotamia (Sumer, right?), when Sumer was more organized and developed, aside from writing and agriculture?

Thank you! I appreciate your writing and the information you curate and provide.