CIVILIZATION (part 1) What is Civilization? How the city of UR exemplifies early civilization?

Geography Historians believed that one of the first civilizations arose in Sumer, a region that is now part of modern Iraq.

Geography Sumer was located in Mesopotamia in a region called Fertile Crescent. Mesopotamia means- “land between the rivers”- Tigris and Euphrates. As the revers flooded at least once a year, it left mud called silt. Silt: thick bed of mud, rich in minerals. In this rich, new soil farmers could plant enormous quantity of crops. The surpluses from their harvest allowed villages to grow.

What is Civilization? The most advanced stage of human social development and organization. Most scholars define civilization as a complex culture with the fallowing five characteristics: Advanced cities Specialized workers Complex institutions Record keeping Advanced technology

1. Advanced cities Q.-Why were cities essential to the growth of civilization? A.- Cities were the center of trade, worship, and government and offered a broad range of jobs in which people could specialize.

Sumer 3200 B.C.

2. Specialized workers -Specialize occupations were made possible by a surplus food supply. Artisans were skilled workers who make goods by hands. The wide range of crafts that artisans produced helped cities become centers of trade. This was possible only because of an abundant food supply.

3. Complex Institutions: Complex Institutions: such as government, religion and the economy, are another characteristic of civilization. The temple became the center of both government and religion. With the growth of cities, religion became a formal institution. Most cities had temples where dozens of priests took charge of religious duties.

Ziggurat .

The Ziggurat of Ur Around 2100 B. C The Ziggurat of Ur Around 2100 B.C. king Ur-Nammu built a ziggurat in honor of the god Sin in the city of Ur.

The Ziggurat of Ur. Ur was last capital of Sumarian civilization. Over 4000 years ago, Abraham's people lived here. The Great Ziggurat was built as a place of worship, dedicated to the moon god Nanna (or Sin), in the Sumerian city of Ur in ancient Mesopotamia. The temple which resembles a huge stepped platform was constructed approximately in the 21st century BC by king Ur-Nammu. Today, after more than 4000 years, the ziggurat is still well preserved in large parts as the only major remainder of Ur in present-day southern Iraq.

Ziggurat The Sumerians worshiped many gods. Sumerians believed that every city belonged to a god who lived in the temple and governed the city’s activities. The Mesopotamians believed that these pyramid temples connected heaven and earth. In fact, the ziggurat at Babylon was known as Etemenankia or "House of the Platform between Heaven and Earth". Ur also was a birthplace of the biblical patriarch Abraham, who laid foundations for the first monotheistic religion, Judaism.

4. Record Keeping - CUNEIFORM

CUNEIFORM Early writing took the form of pictographs- pictures expressing words. A picture of a star stood for the word star. However the system was limited. Eventually , scribes invented a system in which signs stood for sounds. Despite this progress, writing took many years to master. Only professional scribes learned the whole system. Cuneiform tablets-records of business transections, historical events, customs, and traditions.

5. Advanced technology - makes life easier and work more efficient. -By around 3000 B.C. –Sumerians were using the wheel, the plow and sailboat. They had bronze weapons that gave them advantage over their enemies.

Q.-How did Ur’s agricultural way of life foster the development of civilization there? A. – Food surplus freed Ur residents to developed specialized skills other than farming. They sparked a need for advanced technology such as irrigational systems, allowed Ur’s economy to flourish and provide a wide range of goods and trade.

Making inferences Q.- In what way does the ziggurat of Ur reveal that Sumerians had developed an advanced civilization? A.- Builders and engineers in Ur had an advanced technology to design a complex building; religion played an important role in the people’s lives; Ur was an advanced city.

More Questions: see p.22 18.- What economic changes resulted from food surpluses in agricultural villages? ***** 19.- Why did the growth of civilization make government necessary? 20.- Why did a system of record keeping develop in civilization?

in order to have a civilization. They are: Let's Review: There are certain things that  we need in order to have a civilization.  They are: Communities, towns, or cities;- Different jobs to provide goods and services for the  people; Written language so people can learn ; 4. Government and laws to protect the people; 5. Advanced technology.

Definitions: community: a place where people live and work together, often made up of many neighborhoods. civilization: a group of people living in a certain area who have improved their way of life over time. Basically a civilization is a higher form of human society. society: a group of people who depend on each other, and work together towards common goals. culture is a group of people with shared language, values, attitudes, etc. Culture can be part of a society, or can have members living in different societies.