There is an argument that the early success of the first civilizations vs everywhere else was primarily due to geography. The presence of rivers, domesticated animals, and certain germs were among the factors... but also the type of climate in that area. In places that were hot or tropical, it was harder to perform manual and intellectual labor because of the heat, which most societies did not have the technology to suppress (air conditioning / ventilation systems). This slowed down the development of everything, from agriculture to industry.
Books I've read on this are Guns, Germs, and Steel and The Wealth and Poverty of Nations. Not all academics agree though.