Early Civilizations Overview

Early Civilizations: Learning Objectives

• Discuss the definition of civilization and its different characteristics
• Explain how early civilizations were formed (from scavenging to agricultural villages to cities to civilizations)

Complex Societies (Civilization)

• A civilization is a complex human society, usually made up of different cities, with specific characteristics of culture and technology.
• The word "civilization" comes from the Latin word "civitas" or "city".
• The most basic definition of civilization is a society made up of cities.

Complex Societies (Civilization) - Advent and Characteristics

• The advent of civilization depended on the ability of agricultural settlements to consistently produce surplus food.
• This allowed people to specialize in other non-agricultural work, increasing production, trade, population, and allowing for complex societies (civilization) to develop.
• Five characteristics of a civilization:
  • Advanced cities
  • Specialized workers
  • Complex institutions
  • Record keeping
  • Advanced technology

Advanced Cities

• A city is more than a large group of people living together.
• The size of the population alone does not distinguish a village from a city.
• A key difference between a city and a village is that a city is a center of trade for a larger area.

Specialized Workers

• As cities grew, there was a greater need for more specialized workers (e.g., traders, government officials, and priests).
• Specialization—development of skills in a specific kind of work.
• Skilled workers (artisans) made goods by hand: jewelry, metal tools and weapons, clothing, and pottery.

Complex Institutions

• Leaders emerged to maintain order and establish laws.
• Government is an example of a lasting pattern of organization in a community.
• Examples of complex institutions: governments, religion, and economic systems.

Record Keeping

• Government officials in early civilizations had to document tax collections, the passage of laws, and the storage of grain.
• People also used writing for other purposes, such as recording events in cities, wars, natural disasters, and the reigns of kings.

Advanced Technology

• New tools and techniques were needed to solve problems in increasingly large societies
• The potter's wheel was invented around 3500 B.C. to shape jugs, plates, and bowls.
• Sumerian metalworkers discovered that combining copper and tin created bronze around 3000 B.C.
• Bronze was used in tools and weapons, signifying an advancement in technology.

Case Study: City of Ur

• Ur, one of the earliest cities in Sumer, was located on the banks of the Euphrates River in southern Iraq.
• Ur was a highly sophisticated civilization:
  • Ziggurat: a massive temple
  • Court of Nanna: a sacred place
  • Home of the High Priestess
  • Surrounding Walls
  • Temples and Treasury
  • Royal Cemetery