The Beginnings of Civilization, 10, B.C.E. The West CHAPTER 1

The Emergence of Hunter- Gatherer Societies Ca. 150,000 years ago - Homo sapiens appear Adapted tools to new environments and practical needs End of the Ice Age promoted the spread of cereal grasses Humans began to settle in semi-permanent camps to exploit seasonal food sources

The Food-Producing Revolution Ca. 8,000 B.C.E. Warming environment Dwindling of game due to over-hunting Population growth and ecological change Cultivation of crops and domestication of animals to provide dependable food supply

The First Food-Producing Communities The Levantine Corridor (Fertile Crescent) - Abu Hureya, Jericho Foothills of the Zagros mountains, north of Mesopotamia - Sawi Chemi Shanidar, Ganj Dareh Anatolia - Çatal Hüyük

The Origins of Sumerian Cities Control of waters of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers Irrigation led to increased food supply Rich crop yields fed a growing population Villages blossomed into cities

Sumerian Economic Life Cities served as economic centers Craft specialization Centralized marketplaces in cities Long-distance trade with the Levant, Iran, Anatolia and Afghanistan

Sumerian Political Life Power based on control of labor and water resources Economic resources dedicated to maintaining the king and temple (ziggurat) Vast inequality of wealth between rulers and ruled Frequent warfare and rivalry between kings prevented political unification

Sumerian Cultural Achievements Invention of potter’s wheel, wagon and chariot Development of writing (cuneiform) Mathematical innovation Architectural advances Hydraulic engineering Astrological knowledge

Sargon’s Empire and the Kings of Ur Akkadian Empire, ca , founded by Sargon, formed the first multiethnic empire Ca Kingdom of Ur reformed the administration and economy of the Akkadian Empire First known codification of laws during kingdom of Ur

Assyria: A Kingdom of Commerce International commerce formed basis of economy and political power Assembly of merchants, “the City”, controlled economic and foreign policy King was responsible for religious duties, and for the maintenance of justice and public works

Babylon: A Kingdom of Law and Order Ca B.C.E. the Assyrian empire fell to Hammurabi, king of Babylon Law Code of Hammurabi: 282 civil, criminal and commercial laws; introduced the concept that the punishment should suit the crime

The Development of Settled Life in Egypt Hunter-gatherer settlements slowly turned to agriculture and domestication of animals Technological advances led to craft specialization, as towns developed Ecological change shifted cultivation to the banks of the Nile Trade along the Nile led to cultural, social and, eventually, political unification

The Old Kingdom, ca B.C.E. Semi-divine kingship Centralized, literate bureaucracy - hieroglyphic writing Economic centralization Long-distance trade of central importance Centrality of beliefs about afterlife in religion

The Middle Kingdom, ca B.C.E. Greater social mobility and economic equality than the Old Kingdom Economic resources directed more to social welfare and public works than to aggrandizement of the king Religious practices emphasized moral conduct over ceremony

Neolithic Cultures in Europe Colder climate and greater forestation slowed transition from hunter-gather societies to food production Linear Pottery Culture - building of megalithic monuments, development of metallurgy Battle Axe Culture - warrior culture, domestication of the horse, development of the Indo-European parent language

Technological and Social Change in Europe Technological innovation led to expansion of land under cultivation, providing greater opportunity for individual economic gain Accumulation of wealth by some farmers led to increasing social stratification Emergence of élite, male-dominated groups - foundation of European aristocracy

Civilization and the West Development of literacy and numeracy Codification of laws based on abstract principles Emergence of gender- and socially-based divisions of labor and power