Eight Features of a Civilization

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Eight Features of a Civilization

• Cities are the central feature of a civilization
  without them, you do not have a civilization!

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1. Cities

• Early cities were settled near rivers
• Nile (Egypt)
• Tigris and Euphrates (Iraq)
• Indus (S. Asia)
• Huang He (E. Asia)

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• Surrounded by high walls
• Had temples and palaces (religious centers)
• roads

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2. Organized Government

• Over saw irrigation projects
• Early Neolithic people depended on rain built
  canals (drought) and dams (flooding) to be less
  dependent on rain

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• Ensure steady food supply was available
• Issue Laws
• Organize defense and military
• Collect taxes for building projects

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3. Complex Religion

• Polytheistic believed that deities controlled
  natural forces and human activities
• Land produces food when deities are happy

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• Natural disaster occur when deities are unhappy
• Wanted to ensure happiness of deities Priests,
  sacrifices, temples

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4. Job Specialization

• People were ranked according to the job they
  performed
• Specialized Labor
• Men and Women had different job

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• Depended on advanced technology
• Metal Working BRONZE AGE (made by mixing copper
  and tin.
• More durable than stone tools
• Used copper, lead, and gold to make jewelry,
  eating utensils and weapons

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5. Social Classes

• People are ranked according to job
• Priest/nobles
• Wealthy merchants
• Artisans
• Peasants/farmers (majority)
• Slaves POWs the poor

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6. Art and Architecture

• Express beliefs and values
• Temples and palaces
• Reassures people of power of leaders
• Built by skilled workers

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7. Public Works

• Ordered by rulers
• Irrigation systems
• Roads, bridges, high walls
• Kept people busy during agriculture inactivity
  and times of peace

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8. Writing

• Began with priest keeping record of items brought
  as an offering
• At first used pictograms to represent products ?
  then abstract ideas (love) ? then sounds ? then
  medical texts
• Mainly written by trained scribes (excluded women)