The First Communities

Vocabulary• Irrigation• Surplus• Specialization• Artisans• Social Class• Government• Fertile

Think about what is necessary in order to live in one place permanently!!!!

The Importance of IRRIGATION

• Irrigation – The watering of dry land using systems of ditches, pipes and streams

Irrigation and the Nile• What is needed in order for irrigation to take place (Mississippi

and Detroit are examples)?

Dry LandIrrigated

Land

Farming Villages Develop Worldwide

• Early farming villages developed where water was readily available

• Why did villages sprout/grow near rivers? Why not oceans or seas?

• What can the rivers be used for?

• What, if any, are the drawbacks of living near a river?

The Importance of Fresh Water• Village life provided

advantages and disadvantages.

• What are some advantages?

• What are some disadvantages?

Surplus and Specialization

• Surplus is extra or more than needed• What can I/you do with extra of something

(sheep herder)?• Specialization is a skill in one type of work

(potter, weaver, teacher, assembly line, etc.)• How does a potter or weaver obtain food?• What is the difference between goods and

services?• How do farmers obtain the goods they need,

such as tools, clothes and vessels?

Villages Grow Complex• Extra food and other supplies produced by specialists

meant that more people could live together. Surpluses encouraged the growth of villages and populations. Surplus’ also led to trade.

• People trained in skills or crafts are called artisans (An artisan is a specialist).

• Examples of artisans include carpenters, toolmakers, cloth makers and potters.

• Specialization led to the development of social classes.• Define social class.• As communities continued to grow, there was a need for

laws and leadership which led to government.• What is the purpose of government?

Catal Huyuk

• Located in modern Turkey• At least 9,000 years old• Had a population of about

8,000 inhabitants• Produced wheat, barley

and peas• Raised sheep• People lived in apartment-

like buildings Pea Plant