What are the basic characteristics of any civilization? Civitas What are the basic characteristics of any civilization?

What is civilization? The word itself derived from the Latin word “civitas” which means city.

Civilization Record keeping Culture Complex Institutions Job specialization Advanced Cities Advanced Technology Draw this @ top of your graphic organizer. Leave enough room to do the rest.

Instructions for creating your graphic organizer Underneath your neatly labeled drawing of a ziggurat, write a brief explanation (in your own words) of each of the six characteristics of civilization. You should try to provide at least two historical examples of each one so you will have a better understanding. Please skip a line in between each characteristic of civilization.

Advanced Cities Birthplace of civilization Farming and domesticated animals allowed people to stay in one place

Advanced Technology Needed to solve problems that arise when living in crowded spaces Irrigation, ox drawn plow, calendars, metalwork, mathematics, astronomy

Complex Institutions Organized govt. – grew out of the need for farming and irrigation 1st – prob. religious, later warrior kings later bureaucracy (organized by dept.) Complex Religions – most were polytheistic (to explain nature) Education & Economics emerge

Job Specialization So many jobs, no one could do it all Artisans (pottery, metalwork, etc.), govt. officials, merchants, and religious leaders were examples Developed a barter system Result – people became more interdependent

Record Keeping Taxes, laws, food storage, religious events Earliest forms of writing… pictograms (picture = idea) cuneiform (wedge shaped) alphabet (letter = sound) Scribes = people who keep records

Ancient Writing Pictograms Cuneiform

Culture Art & architecture used to express the beliefs and values of society Social stratification emerges Every civilization developed its own unique art, religion, architecture, clothing, language, and traditions.

Complete Your Understanding Notice that each characteristic of civilization built upon the needs created by the earlier ones. Ex. Cities -> problems -> technology -> problems controlling it -> govt (institutions) -> etc.