1. From early man to the creation of the first civilizations.
Dawn of Civilizations
From early man to the creation
of the first civilizations.

2. The earliest civilizations on the planet.

3. Fertile Crescent:
- Mesopotamia: Sumer (3200) and Unification of Egypt (3100)
- The Tigris and Euphrates Rivers provided fertile soil
- Seasonal Rains
- Wheat and Barely crops.
- Domesticated camels, sheep, bees, poultry.

5. - Indus River valley civilization
India:
- Indus River valley civilization
- Indus river, Ganges river created floodplains
Monsoon Season
Crops of Rye, Rice, Cotton, Peas, Barely
Domesticated Elephant (tamed), Ox, poultry

7. China:
- Haung He (Yellow) River
- Seasonal rainfall created flooding
- Crops of rice, wheat, sorghum, millet
- Domesticated pig, Ox, Horse, poultry (duck)

9. Mesoamerica & South America:
- Mayans, Incas, Aztecs
- No large rivers, but many small rivers and many underground lakes and rivers.
Year-long rainfall, with hurricane season July-Nov.
Crops of maize, beans, squash, avocados, potatoes
Domesticated turkeys, llamas

13. So how did humans ever get to the point of creating a civilization?

14. The first creatures to walk upright were our earliest ancestors.
They were not much better than other animals.
They had powerful jaws and low foreheads.

15. Neanderthals advanced a little, but not much.
They wore animal skins and learned how to use fire.

16. They used very simple
tools and weapons:
like a rock and a stick
tied together!
Genius, I know.

17. Next came the Cro-Magnons! You know these guys really well.

18. These people began to
use tools and weapons.
They became proficient at
hunting and making things.

19. Cro-Magnons even left us records of what they could
accomplish in the form of cave drawings.

20. Seldom would one cave be sufficient for them to survive
all year. So they followed the food. Hunting and
gathering, helped them live all year.
Yes, even back then it was the women who had the hard jobs!

21. Depending on the season, they would follow wherever
the food was. By traveling in small groups, they
could have some protection from other people
and animals.

22. Eventually, they figured out how to grow some of
their own food. They no longer had to travel
around to satisfy their needs.
So they built houses and
stopped living in caves.

23. A settlement would usually
contain a house, field,
pen for the animals, and
be located close to
a river.

24. Water was crucial to early man’s survival
and advancement.
Irrigation allowed
them to grow crops
easily and quickly.

25. The domestication of animals also made their
lives easier. Once tamed, they could
replace human labor and provide protection.

27. All of these innovations helped man discover free time.
They could now have time to do more than
just provide for their needs. Man began to
have wants.

28. Tools took on more
importance to men.
Better tools meant
more free time.
More free time meant
more time to invent
and discover new ideas
and technology.

29. Disruptive technologies lead to even more technologies.
The cart was the predecessor of the car.

30. Settlements close to each other could unite
in defense against invaders. Working together
also allowed them to share crops and technology.
They then had more time to develop even more
tools and weapons.

31. These small groups would take over others and start
to form cities to defend the land and people
they controlled.

32. Whoever was the strongest warrior would be the king.
This was the first form of
government the world had.

33. The leaders would create
laws to govern the city.
If you didn’t like a law,
you had to be stronger
than the king and his
friends.

34. Priests realized they could steal power away from
kings by using religion to sway the people.

35. The earliest religions focused on nature.
There were gods of: weather, disasters,
and the sun.

36. ‘real’ work, the priests
So that they could
survive without doing
‘real’ work, the priests
demanded a tax from
the people.
The money was used
to build temples,
feed the priests, and
provide sacrifices
to the gods.

37. A way to get even more free time was to capture
slaves from another land.

38. Craftsmen could now produce many items that
brought them money. People could now rely solely
on a skill in making something and not have to farm.

39. Traders would travel between major cities and
exchange goods (making a ton of money doing it).
They would also trade technology and religions.

40. In order to maintain power, cities had to conquer other cities.
Armies were built to
spread the power, language,
religion, government, and
technology of a city
to other lands.

41. So the first civilizations were born.

42. THE
END!