The trick in this question is in the definition of civilization. If you consider the hunter cultures of the Upper Palaeolithicum, you wuld have to talk about sites that are 400.000 years old. If you consider the earliest civilization a culture with fixed settlements, you would have to look for Neolithic sites, and then you would be talking about c. 10.000 years. The earliest larger settlements (with more than 1000 inhabitants) were found in Anatolia, Turkey, and between the Euphrat and Tigris rivers in today's Iraq. Which way do you want to have it?

Western Scientists are giving examples of Mesopatamia, Armenian highlands, Egyptian, Babylon ...etc. However there are no concrete evidences available to prove the datings of the civilizations and on top of everything ; No evidences in terms of literature to validate the chain and links with any such civilization with currently existing races. In south asia, mohanjodro and harappa also carbon dated back 3000BC, however there are no links found. Eventually these races existed long back but left with very discrete evidences about their knowledge pool and gowth patterns. Also if we go for hard evidences then we cannot found any such civilization evidence prior to 4000-5000BC that's a strange element. Indian civilization may not give many hard evidences (as all the places are densely populated since from ancient times) about it's datings but there are many soft evidences in terms of literature and ancient epics/stories. even hard evidences are available till 2000BC in form of various indian kings ruling across the ancient india from East to afghan and kashmir to srilanka (see the stories of gupt/chol vansh). sanskrit is key source of information and it's a strange that a Language is surviving from last known 2000BC and said to be core language in which Ramayan and mahabharat were written originally (various theories on aging for these epics). However a complete language is existing from last 4000 known years and is more strong in vocubulary and assent then any other language in the world. That itself gives an evidence that India has solution to this mystery, all it needs to be researched. As Giza Pyramids in egypt were researched by an Franchman scientist and he discovered many things and hide whatever was against church in 1820 (Due to instructions by french authorities)....so if we research with open mind then can get the correct answers. SandeepM