CIVILISATION? WHAT IS A

WHEN DID YOU LAST HEAR THIS? EEEEEE!!!!!! So UNCIVILISED!!!!!!!!!!

“UNCIVILISED”??? We use such terms to criticise actions which we dislike. But WHERE did such a term come from?

HOW DID WE GET THE WORD ‘CIVILISATION’ ? Our modern word ‘Civilisation’ comes from the Latin word ‘Civilis’ (citizen) ‘Civilis’ was related to: the word ‘Civis’ (a city resident) polite behaviour expected of a citizen in a city. Even today, we describe good manners as “being civil”

HOW DID WE GET THE WORD ‘CIVILISATION’ ? Hence the word “CIVILISATION” was formed to describe a society which: Lived in cities Behaved politely Obeyed the government and law This English word came into use around 1857 AD.

WHAT’S THE OPPOSITE OF “CIVILISED”? BARBARIC! The Greeks labelled anyone whose language they could not understand as a “Barbarian” – their words sounded like “Bar! Bar!” to their ears! It came to mean anyone thought to be crude, foreign, violent and uneducated, and lived outside a city

WHAT COMES BEFORE A ‘CIVILISATION’? Humans originally lived as small family groups of hunter- gatherers They moved from place to place seeking food So how did we come to live in large cities?

WHAT COMES BEFORE A ‘CIVILISATION’? We have already learned that civilisations are mostly found: In favourable climates where crops can grow Near rivers which provide fertile soil for food Larger numbers of humans were attracted to these areas Eventually humans learned the art of FARMING Large amounts of food could be grown in one place There was no longer a need to move around seeking food As there was sufficient food, time and manpower could be spent making other items like clothes and houses

REMEMBER YOUR ART AND CRAFT ACTIVITY? You can see from your own experience that societies benefit from: Having surplus food Having a large population Trading with others Knowing how to write

WHAT COMES BEFORE A ‘CIVILISATION’? Refer to Textbook 5A pg. 46 What four stages of development do human settlements progress through? As human settlements grew, so did: The population The size of buildings The power of leaders (they had more people to control) Their ability to produce goods for trade

SUMERIAN ODE TO CITY LIFE The Sumerians created the first known civilisation. They wrote the first great work of literature (the Epic of Gilgamesh) In this long poem, the hero praises one of world’s earliest cities: Look at the walls of Uruk, gleaming like burnished bronze; Inspect its inner wall, the like of which no man can equal!

SUMERIAN CITIES

SUMERIAN CITIES

WHAT COMES BEFORE A ‘CIVILISATION’? Think: What other consequences did settled life bring? When humans began farming, it meant that they claimed land as their own and gathered surplus food However only some areas were fertile. Crops might also fail in some areas As such, not all societies were equally prosperous What do you think increasingly happened between societies as a result?

SO WHAT IS A CIVILISATION?? Believe it or not, there is NO single definition that everyone in the world agrees on. NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

FEATURES OF A CIVILISATION DON’T PANIC! While there is no perfect definition, most scholars agree that great civilisations share the following features: Cities A system of government Economic activities which showed division of labour (i.e. people had specialised roles) A form of writing Knowledge of mathematics, science and technology Sophisticated arts and craftsmanship Sophisticated architecture

REMEMBER YOUR “ART AND CRAFT” ACTIVITY EARLIER? As you have discovered for yourselves, division of labour is a crucial foundation of civilisation Writing also brings advantages for a society, by allowing communication without speech

FEATURES OF A CIVILISATION Let’s examine these features more closely: CITIES Settlements grow in size over time, from villages to towns and finally cities (see Textbook 5A pg. 46) Cities are the largest human settlements A SYSTEM OF GOVERNMENT Cities have a king or government to lead them The cities and area controlled by a king or government make up a COUNTRY The city where the king or government rules from is the CAPITIAL CITY

FEATURES OF A CIVILISATION Economic activities which showed division of labour People had specialised roles e.g. potter, musician, scribe This was possible when basic food needs were taken care of Not everybody was needed for farm work, and they could engage in other specialised jobs Can you imagine trying to create EVERYTHING which you need by yourself? It is far better for people to create different items or services, then exchange them or sell them to each other

FEATURES OF A CIVILISATION A form of writing With writing, man could record knowledge without having to rely on memory This allowed for growth of all forms of knowledge, leading to: Knowledge of mathematics, science and technology

FEATURES OF A CIVILISATION Sophisticated arts and craftsmanship / Sophisticated architecture With specialised jobs and advanced techniques, ancient civilisations created stunning artwork and structures Some have survived for thousands of years Even today, we might find it hard to match some of their achievements

OTHER COMMON FEATURES Religious Belief Social Structure Agriculture and Irrigation systems Sports and Games

FEATURES OF A CIVILISATION When we finish studying each civilisation, you will be given this worksheet. It will help you identify how EACH civilisation shows these features. At the end of the year, you can compare ALL the civilisations.