The Origins of Civilizations A long period of time: A short class period to discuss it in

What is History and Why do it?  Mankind’s effort to reconstruct the past  Uniquely human endeavor  involves the study and analysis of primary sources  The study of history leads almost inevitably to the study of civilization: What is a civilization? What is a citizen?  The study of history provides students with answers to these and other questions.

Prehistory  Paleolithic Age- the Old Stone Age –Earliest primitive toll making humans east Africa nearly three million years ago –Hunters and Gatherers  Nomadic lives with temporary homes –Ended about 10,000 years ago as humans turned to an agricultural lifestyle

Developing a “Social Contract”  Prior to a more permanent settlement groups of families formed bands of around 30 people  Groups that did not cooperate would not survive  They worked together to provide life’s essentials- food, shelter, clothing –Plato’s Republic –Aristotle and the role of the state in regard to human development (happiness)  Changes at the end of the Paleolithic changed the human condition permanently

Language and Technology  What is Technology?  Paleolithic humans began to make simple tools out of bone, wood, and stone  They were able to use these tools for killing, skinning, making clothes, shelter, and fishnets  They next learned how to control fire –Cooking food, warmth, and protection  The cooperation required to survive brought about the development of a language  This enabled humans to share knowledge, ideas, feelings, experience, etc. –Decisive factors in the development of civilization

Religion  Paleolithic man developed mythic-religions to explain nature (birth, sickness, death, etc.)  They felt that powers operated beyond their own physical world and sought establish cordial relationships with these powers  Eventually, shamans, medicine men, witch doctors, and priests became powerful members of the society  They also began to bury their dead with offerings which shows a belief in the afterlife

Art  Between 30 and 12,000 years ago man began to paint skillful and perceptive representations of animals on cave walls  Some believe that this was done to bring luck on the hunt  This one is from France (15, ,000 years ago)

The Neolithic Age  Humans discovered farming –How can you imagine this happening?  With the discovery of farming came other improvements in the Neolithic –Domestication of animals –Villages –Polished stone tools –Pottery –Woven cloth

An Agricultural Revolution  Neolithic hunters and gatherers were confined to the things that nature provided them  Now women and children could plant grains and men could raise and slaughter their own animals  Farming brought about a new kind of living –They had to live near their fields and had to store their crops –Permanent settlements emerged

Village Life  Patterns of life were changed  Surplus food allowed people to have spare time  They were able to hone their skills as craftsmen  Craftsmen and artisans required raw materials and soon trade between villages emerged

The Idea of Private Property  As nomadic hunters and gatherers man aquired little possessions  Permanent settlement allowed them to amass property  Villages became protective of their boundaries in regard to other villages  Individuals became protective of their boundaries with respect to other people  Soon a ruling elite emerged that possessed wealth and power –Plato and Aristotle on Equality

The End of the Neolithic  Invention of Pottery –Genesis and the creation of man  Tools became sharper  Metals were used  The wheel and the sail were invented  Food supply became stable, villages expanded and families with wealth gained social status  Religion became more formalized and structured

Civilization  What is civilization?  Cities emerged and these were separate from but relied on the agricultural towns that were adjacent to them  City people were involved in nonagricultural work  Society became much more complex  Writing is invented for record keeping –They were able to expand and preserve knowledge for the benefit of future generations  Laws emerge

What does it mean to be civilized?  The differences between the Neolithic settlements and the first civilizations are: –Cities –Specialization of labor –Writing –Organized government –Monumental architecture –Complex religious structures

The Hydraulic Theory  Civilizations developed around some of the world’s most important rivers. –Tigris and Euphrates –Indus –Nile –Ganges  People realized that irrigation systems would improve productivity  Two reasons: –Too much water- swamps –Not enough- desert conditions  Engineering projects demanded education (like mathematics and record keeping) and cooperation of large numbers of people  Also demanded a legal system, an army, police force, central government, etc.

The Dark Side  Disease was more easily spread in the city  Rotting garbage could contaminate water supplies  The power wielded by wealthy elites could be used for negative reasons –Power was used to war with neighbors to gain more power –Warfare was much more brutal than those in the Neolithic –Records show warrior kings boasting of their conquests and that military heroes were held in high esteem