INVENTION OF AGRICULTURE First people to engage in agriculture were from the Middle East –Began around 7000 BC –Wheat and barley –Sheep and goats Agriculture then gradually spread from Middle East to Europe, Africa, and elsewhere

THE FIRST FARMER Probably a woman –Did most grain-collecting as part of their general food gathering duties –Noticed that that stored wild grain could be grown on purpose Domestication of animals probably came from the keeping of pets or from the temporary sstoring of animals after a hunt, until they were needed for food.

RESULTS OF AGRICULTURE Required intensification of group organization –Farmers lived in settlements which had populations that ranged from 150 to 2000

SOCIAL ORGANIZATION Settlements originally ruled by a council of elders but, over time, authority became a single chieftain Individual independence was limited –Inhabitants worked together collectively in a very close- knit society –Communal granaries, communal ovens, and communal fields –Private property limited to an individual’s personal possessions

POSSESSIONS Needs of agriculture increased human possessions –Clay pottery –Woven baskets –Woolen and linen clothing –Sophisticated tools and weapons –Metallic ornaments –Carts and wagons with solid wheels –Plow

OUTSIDE CONTACTS Communities had links to larger world Existence of walls indicates that they were sometimes fearful of these contacts Other contacts were more peaceful –Obsidian and turquoise items in Jericho came from at least several hundred miles away Either gifts or received in exchange for grain Jericho

DIFFERENCES IN LIFESTYLE Determined by the region where men settled and the environmental factors they had to deal with Lake houses in Switzerland, long houses along Danube, stone huts in Britain, reed lean-tos in Egypt, and clay brick huts in Middle East Tools and weapons also varied, as did social and political organization and even ideas

CIVILIZATION I THE PRESENCE OF FIRMLY ORGANIZED STATES WHICH HAVE DEFINITE BOUNDARIES AND LED BY CLEARLY IDENTIFIED POLITICAL OR RELIGIOUS LEADERS THE DISTINCTIONS OF SOCIAL CLASSES –THE EXISTENCE OF A SOCIAL CLASS SYSTEM WITH PEOPLE RANKED IN SOCIAL GROUPS, ONE ABOVE THE OTHER

CIVILIZATION II ECONOMIC SPECIALIZATION –DIVISION OF OCCUPATIONS SUCH AS FARMER, CRAFTSMAN, MERCHANT, PRIEST, WARRIOR, ETC. ALL INTERDEPENDENT CONSCIOUS DEVELOPMENT OF ARTS AND INTELLECTUAL ATTITUDES –RISE OF MONUMENTAL ARCHITECTURE AND SCULPTURE –USE OF WRITING TO KEEP RECORDS OR COMMUNICATE FAMOUS DEEDS –ELABORATION OF THEOLOGY EXPRESSION OF RELIGIOUS VIEWS ABOUT THE NATURE OF THE GODS, THEIR RELATIONSHIP WITH MEN, AND ABOUT THE ORIGIN OF THE WORLD

UNIQUENESS OF CIVILIZATION Civilization was not simply the next step from the Neolithic Age –Many people in the world remained at the simple food- raising stage for thousands of years—without developing any sort of civilization Only three locations in the world developed civilizations entirely on their own –China –Central America and Peru –Mesopotamia/Egypt

MESOPOTAMIA Means “Land Between Two Rivers” Tigris Euphrates In north, rivers are far apart and separated by hills and numerous tributaries In south, rivers are closer together and this is where civilization would emerge This area has been called Sumer, Akkad, and Babylonia

MESOPOTAMIAN GEOGRAPHY Seldom rained but, when it did, it came in torrential downpours Normally very hot and dry with temperatures approaching 120 degrees in the summer Southern region is one of dried mud flats, stagnant pools, and reed swamps No natural building materials and no metallic deposits—with the exception of clay Little incentive for men to settle there—except for the fact that its soil was fertile, light, and easy to cultivate and the rivers provided a reliable source of water

GEOGRAPHIC INFLUENCES Arabian Desert to south and west supported nomadic population of Semitic- speaking people who periodically wandered into Mesopotamia Continual movement of new people into region constantly exposed Mesopotamia to new influences and also allowed it to spread its influence more widely throughout the Middle East Tribes also periodically wandered into the region from the surrounding foothills and mountains This is where the Sumerians probably first came from