Development of Early Civilizations (aka

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Development of Early Civilizations (aka cradles)

• Mesopotamia, Nile, Yellow, and Indus ( Olmec)

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What are characteristics of a civilization?

• A form of written language
• Social stability with their organization
• Access to resources natural/ manmade
• Usually has a form of religion
• Arts and innovation- intellectual stimulate

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Civilization Characteristics (contd)

• Distinction between classes and genders
• Distinction between civilized and uncivilized
• Greater impact on the environment
• Legal systems

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When did they come about?

• Many characteristics of civilizations by 6,000 or
  5,000 BCE
• Origins of civilization around 3,500 BCE until
  about 1,000 BCE

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Where did they occur?

• In river valleys
• Mesopotamia, Nile, Indus, Yellow, ( Olmec)
• Covered only a tiny portion

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Was development of civilization a good thing?

• Not always
• Many non-civilized societies have more
  regulations
• Nomadic peoples contributed greatly to world
  history

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What does civilization mean and is it dependent
on anything?

• Derived from civitas meaning city
• Most civilizations depend on the existence of
  significant cities.why?

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Why settle in the river valley?

• Lacks adequate rainfall, natural resources,
  constant threat of droughts
• Fertile soil
• Tremendous results with irrigation

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Why were they able to come about?

• Built on changes in technology
• Agriculture
• New civilizations continued to be founded in
  northern Europe, as late as 1500 BCE

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Use of metals

• First metal used- gold
• Next, copper
• Humans learn to alloy copper with different
  metals
• Next major step is iron

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What is so important about irrigation?

• Makes civilization work
• Increase in food increase in population

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Were all agricultural societies stationary?

• No- some used idea of slash and burn agriculture
• Herding peoples moved in tribal bands

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Was new land always available nearby? Were there
advantages to staying put?

• No, so most agricultural people didnt move
• Yes, some advantages
• Irrigation key incentive to stability

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What are some commonalities among early
civilizations?

• Cities
• Writing
• Formal states
• Trade
• Mutual relationships

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Development of Writing

• Starts with oral tradition
• Almost all major alphabets in world derived from
  the writing forms pioneered in the river valleys

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Cuneiform
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Hieroglyphics
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Writing contd

• Most civilizations developed writing
• First form- cuneiform (writing based on
  wedge-like characters) in the Middle East 3500
  BCE
• http//www.upennmuseum.com/cuneiform.cgi
• Another form of writing was Hieroglyphics
• http//www.quizland.com/hiero.htm
• Societies that used writing could organize more
  elaborate political structures

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Writing contd

• Could tax more efficiently and make contracts and
  treaties
• Generate a more explicit intellectual climate

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Firmer Class or Caste Divisions

• Promotes greater separation
• Greater inequality between men and women
• More fully patriarchal structures emerged

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Did development of civilizations continue the
process of technological change and political
organization?

• Yes
• Civilizations generated the largest populations
• Most elaborate artistic and intellectual forms
• Civilization increased human impact on the
  environment

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Decline/ Connections

• Despite accomplishments, most in decline by 1,000
  BCE
• Connections between the first civilization and
  subsequent forms in several river valley
  civilizations

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Conclusion

• After 1,000 BCE development and spread of
  civilization begin
• Many accomplishments had a lasting impact

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Conclusion contd

• Others- invention of the wheel, taming of horses,
  the creation of usable alphabets, writing
  implements, the production of key mathematical
  concepts such as square roots, the development of
  well- organized monarchies and bureaucracies,
• and the invention of functional
• calendars and other divisions of time

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Conclusion contd

• One final result- a pattern of division among the
  worlds peoples
• Small groups spread to almost every corner of the
  world
• Rise of agriculture created new links and trade
  soon entered the picture