Urban Revolution

1
Urban Revolution
2
The Change to a Sedentary Life

• 10,000 BCE people began to form Agricultural
  villages in the Tigris-Euphrates river valleys.
• Farming was harder than hunting and gathering.
• Had to work more hours to feed themselves.
• Why did they do it?
• Increased population pressure
• Climate changes hotter or colder.
• .4 sq. miles in agriculture can feed 200-400
  people.
• .4 sq. miles in hunting and gathering can feed 9
  people.

3
City States

• Creativity increased!
• Textiles, pottery, metallurgy, architecture,
  tools, works of art.
• Wheat and Barley were domesticated by 8000 BCE in
  Israel and Jordan (Jericho).
• Peas, lentils, and other legumes followed.
• Goats, sheep, cattle and pigs were eventually
  domesticated too.

4
Agriculture around the World

• Western hemisphere maize, sweet potatoes and
  other root crops. Llama, guinea pig, turkey,
  dogs domesticated.
• S.E. Asia tropical African roots tubers yams,
• Central India rice by 5000 BCE
• China Rice in the south, millets in the north.

5
Neolithic

• Early villages were from the Neolithic named
  for tools not crops.
• Fertile Crescent 8000 BCE to 4000 BCE oldest
  agriculture.
• Stone tools valued for trade.
• Obsidian (volcanic glass), seashells, jade,
  turquoise ceramics were all traded far
  distances.
• Pottery was VERY important.
• Storage is a characteristic of a sedentary life.
• Distinctive patterns from different villages tell
  us much about trade.

6
The First Cities

• Built on economic base of sedentary villages.
• Innovated in 5 river valleys
• E. Hemisphere Mesopotamia (3300 BCE), Nile,
  Indus, Huang He, and Niger (400 CE).
• W. Hemisphere Gulf of Mexico and Andes
  Mountains.
• Transformed life!

7
First Cities

• New transportation
• Wheeled vehicles, sailboats
• Metallurgy
• Copper, tin, alloys Bronze Age.
• Organization
• Hierarchies, administrators, artisans, traders,
  local merchants, priests, kings, etc.
• Early state was born with special organization,
  centralized rule, and powerful armies.
• Record Keeping
• 3300 BCE first writing occupation of Scribes
  teachers