Chapter 1:iiiEmergence of Civilization

Civilization

•from the Latin word civitas, meaning “city”, created when mankind settled in cities.

Most historians equate the rise of civilization with the rise of cities.

[Image source:http://www.taisei.co.jp/cg_e/ancient_world/ur/ur_01.html]

Cities formed at different times in different parts of the world.

[Image source:http://www.geocities.com:0080/Athens/Parthenon/2104/civilizations.html]

Because many city dwellers

learned how to write, the development of cities also marks the

beginning of history . . .

[Image source: http://early-cuneiform.humnet.ucla.edu/archaic/index.html]

Cities allowed people to “specialize” in a trade. Iron

working, religion, government, farming (cattle

or crops), artisans, shipbuilders, soldiers, merchants, etc…

Oral History

• Before writing, oral history was the only source. Can it be reliable? Can it be verified?

• Archaeology, geography, sociology, language, trade...

Archaeologists believe the first cities emerged along the banks of the Euphrates and Tigris rivers in

Mesopotamia circa 3500 B.C.

Cities arose from

farming settlements along the Nile River Valley in northwest

Africa.

The first cities in the Indus River

Valley emerged

circa 2500 B.C.

The first urban communities in East Asia appeared in the Huang

He Valley circa 1500 B.C.

[Image source: http://www.wsu.edu:8000/wciv/b/ba/bab/bab19.jpg]

economy• An exchange of goods,

money or services to provide for the needs of individuals or a community.

Cities would serve as centers for commerce, religion, art, military forces, and politics.

Early farmers were able to

produce grain surpluses

through the use of irrigation

systems.

[Image source: http://www-oi.uchicago.edu/OI/MUS/HIGH/OIM_A21452_72dpi.html]

Artisans were people who were skilled in a craft.

[Image source: http://www.webdesigns-4-you.com/ancient/early_civilizations.htm]

Many pieces of artwork had significance in religious ceremonies or to identify the status of the owner.

[Image source: http://www.unr.edu/sb204/geology/civilztn.html]

trade• An exchange of goods which

often allowed cultures to exchange knowledge, language, art, customs, technology, religion, and writing.

Cultural diffusion• The process by which

culture is spread throughout an area through trade, marriage, and settlement.

cities

[Image source:http://www.taisei.co.jp/cg_e/ancient_world/ur/ur_01.html]

Cities were the centers of trade.

Social classes

• A hierarchy of positions within a society that were established by the status, job, or connections of the parents.

[Image source: http://www.machanley.com/Early/06Mesopotamia.html]

WritingThis is “cuneiform” writing.

Creation Myths

• Every civilization has a creation myth. Of course, the word “myth” depends on your point of view.

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[Image source: http://www.taisei.co.jp/cg_e/ancient_world/ur/ur_03.html]