Characteristics of a Civilization Global History

What is a civilization? Civilization  a society with a complex culture –Culture  a shared set of beliefs, values, and traditions; a way of life

The Five Characteristics of a Civilization

1. Cities Ur  the first modern city; located in modern day Iraq; also believed to be the place of origin for the Hebrew people The Persian Gulf War and Saddam –The destruction of parts of Ur

2. Specialized Workers Not only farmers, but –Merchants, artisans, scribes Why? –Surplus of food. No need to have everybody farm. You could exchange goods (basket or cart) for food

3. Complex Institutions Formal governments & laws Religion/priests with religious duties and/or political power Education system (mostly for priests & scribes)

4. Record Keeping System of Writing –Cuneiform, hieroglyphics, & pictographs Quipu  series of strings used by the Inca to record statistics

5. Advanced Technology The wheel and the plow Bronze weapons