1. Prehistory to the First Civilizations

2. Prehistory Defined as the time period before recorded history
Movement of human species (homo sapiens) across continents
Hunting & Gathering Societies
Small groups
Short lives

3. Paleolithic Age “Stone Age” Development of tools
Hunted larger animals, gathered nuts and berries
Spread overland

4. Neolithic Revolution A Revolution? Development of agriculture
Could support larger populations
Allowed settlement
Created need for housing, government, economic systems
More complicated lifestyles
Led to Bronze Age (metalworking)

5. Spread of Agriculture

6. Civilization What defines “civilization” ? Whose definition counts ?
What made civilization possible?

7. Whose Definition? 18th Century European Primitive vs. Civilized
White vs. Everyone Else
Beginnings of the concept of “race”
“Race” does not exist

8. General Characteristics
urbanization: people living in villages which become cities
surplus agriculture: more than you can eat now, can save for future
metal technology: tools made for specific uses
writing: words in a row

9. A Modern Definition Urban: cities Surplus agriculture: stored food
Political System: governments
Military Systems: armies for defense
Social stratification: differences in status
Economic specialization: different jobs
Religion: religious figures part of the community, because they do “god(s) work”
Communications: oral or written records
“Higher Culture”: art, literature, etc.

10. Earliest Civilizations
Middle East
Three primary centers of origin and diffusion with similar characteristics
Mesopotamia, Egypt, India

11. Mesopotamia Centrally located in the Tigris-Euphrates River valley
Oldest known civilization

12. “The Land Between the Lakes”
Contemporary Iraq and Iran
“Fertile Crescent” between rivers
Many civilizations over time
Sumerians
Assyrians
Persians

13. Developments in Mesopotamia
Sumerian developments
Cuneiform writing
Art/Religious statues
Ziggurats
Political Structure of city-state
Study of Astronomy
Many, many more
Babylonians
Hammurabi’s Code
Courts
Crime punishments
Phoenicians
Alphabet
Hebrews
Monotheism

14. Other Civilizations Egypt settled along Nile River valley
Indus civilization settled along Indus River valley
China settled along Huang He River valley (and others)

15. #1 Common Characteristic
water

16. Other Characteristics
Opportunity to adapt the environment
Domesticated plants and animals
Relatively stable climates
Surplus supplies of foods
Trade and commerce systems

17. No. 1: Agriculture Cereal crops, especially barley Bread and beer
Herded animals: cattle, sheep, goats
Meat, milk, cheese
Leather and natural wool for clothing

18. No. 2: Planned Economies Require organized, mass labor, slaves
Construction and repair of canals and irrigation ditches
Control of production and storage of surplus grains and other foods
Dispersion of foodstuffs among the population by government
Redistributive economy

19. No. 3: Theocracies
Mobilized and directed by a ruling class of priests, who control the society by “blessings” and by “threats” (Any modern comparison?)
Ruling class only ones able to talk to god or higher beings
theocracy: “a god-ruled state”

20. No. 4: Social Classes
Priestly class is part of the beginning of social differentiation
that is, class structure
Class structure based on specialization of labor/skills
Generated class differences

21. Class Structure Priests (“We talk to god.”)
Aristocrats/warriors (“We have weapons or wealth.”)
Common people (“We work.”)
Slaves (“We are worth only our labor.”)

22. No. 5: Industry Pottery, textiles, woodworking… Production of luxuries
Development and improvement of metal technology: BRONZE

23. No. 6: Architecture Monumental architecture
Pyramids, ziggurats, big cities
Huge temples and associated structures
To fill the needs of a god-oriented state
Under the control of the priestly class

24. No. 7: Writing Perhaps the most important invention
Record keeping, literature, trade
Land tenure
Religious documents

25. No. 8: Organization of Knowledge
Learning becomes cumulative – knowing the past is important
Perpetuates the level of achievement
Scribes and schools
Medicine, astronomy, calendars, mathematics, divination

26. Exit Slip: Save some trees and write on the back of your current event.
What do all early civilizations have in common?
What are the early civilizations we examined today?
List and explain three characteristics of early civilizations.