The Emergence of Civilization

Inquiry 2 pages 26-64

Vocabulary

1) Agricultural surplus

2) Census

3) Civil Servant

4) Civilization

5) Code of Hammurabai

6) Cohesion

7) Craftspeople

8) Cuneiform

9) Decree

10) Distinct

11) Dynasty

12) Hierarchical

13) Interdependent

14) Irrigation

15) Kingdom

16) Merchants

17) Mythological

18) Peasants

19) Pharaoh

20) Scarcity

21) Tyrant

What makes a civilization a civilization?What makes a civilization a civilization?

What makes a civilization a civilization?What makes a civilization a civilization?

1 - Cities1 - Cities 2 - Centralized government, law codes, 2 - Centralized government, law codes,

& organized religion& organized religion 3 - System of writing3 - System of writing 4 - Specialized jobs – Division of Labor4 - Specialized jobs – Division of Labor 5 - Social Classes appeared5 - Social Classes appeared 6 - Advanced Technology6 - Advanced Technology

C - GLO - W - SJ – SC - TC - GLO - W - SJ – SC - T

*Notes*

How did they become civilizations?How did they become civilizations?

A - Neolithic Revolution A - Neolithic Revolution (i.e. domestication of plants (i.e. domestication of plants

& animals)& animals) B - Organized farming & village lifeB - Organized farming & village life C - Food surplus was created & led to skilled trades C - Food surplus was created & led to skilled trades

appearingappearing D - Then there was a growth in populationD - Then there was a growth in population E - This led to the creation of complex societies needing E - This led to the creation of complex societies needing

complex institutions which managed large scale complex institutions which managed large scale

projects like irrigation. projects like irrigation.

*Notes*

The First Civilizations

Agriculture = more food for more people More people = villages grew into cities More people = more trades and crafts were

practiced Chief / King = reigned over society by passing

laws Writing = Laws were formally established

*Notes*

Irrigation use in Agriculture

Irregular rivers sometimes overflowed and at times ran dry.

Periodic floods forced peasants to start large irrigation projects. This resulted in regular and abundant harvests.

New innovative constructions were invented to control water from rivers like…

1. Building canals to direct water towards fields requiring irrigation.

2. Building dikes to prevent canal water from flooding the cultivated lands.

3. Building reservoirs to store floodwaters. (During droughts, this water was used to irrigate fields.)

Humans were evolving FROM being controlled by nature to mastering their environment!!

First Civilizations and Writing - Chinese civilization = Invention of Chinese writing

(~3500 BC)

- Mesopotamian civilization = Invention of Cuneiform writing (~3300 BC)

- Nile Valley civilization = Invention of Hieroglyphics (~3100 BC)

- Indus Valley Civilization = Appearance of Indian writing (~2500 BC)

The First Locations of Civilizations and Their Rivers

Let’s Review! Test yourself!

1. Who ruled over the first civilizations?

2. Name 6 things that make up a civilization

3. Why was irrigation so important to early civilizations?

4. What are the names of the first civilizations?

5. Name 2 things that all these 4 civilizations had in common.

Early forms of writing:

To sum it up:

Civilizations were born when cities developed.

Civilizations died when their social organization was dramatically disrupted.

Types of Writing and Location of Civilizations

Fertile Crescent & MesopotamiaFertile Crescent & Mesopotamia

Let’s Get to Work!!

Read and complete pages 32-35Begin by defining your vocabulary words!

Why Did Mesopotamian Society Invent a New Means of Communication?

Agricultural surpluses + the expansion of trade = the need to keep track of products that were made & traded.

Remembering all this information was difficult.

WRITING became the method used for keeping and communicating this information.

Organization of Labour

All the different trade groups were interdependent and provided each other with the needed goods and services.

Definition of Interdependent:

- (two or more people or things) dependent on

each other.

Trade Groups (Use chart on p.32)

Peasants Soldiers

1. 1.

2. 2.

3.

Craftspeople

1.

Merchants

1.

The Invention of the Wheel

This invention marked the beginning of the notion of drawing.

The first wagons were drawn by cattle or donkeys.

This wheel was constructed using a single slice of a tree trunk.

A wooden axle supported both wheels from one side of the wagon to the other.

Homework:Read and highlight pages 36-37

Do pages 38-39

Cuneiform Writing “cuneus” = nail or corner

Writing was not invented in a day!

The Evolution of Writing

Writing began 3500 BC. People began by drawing pictograms and

engraving these on moist clay tablets which would dry leaving the imprints.

Pictograms were useful for representing animals or object.

What about the representation of complex situation?

Thus, pictograms became simpler. They became symbols that represented sounds.

The Evolution of Writing Cont’d

What about the representation of complex situation?

Thus, pictograms became simpler. They became symbols that represented sounds.

Different Uses of Cuneiform Writing (p.37)

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

The Scribes

- Cuneiform writing was complex- reading and writing were not accessible to all.

- Scribes played an important role in Mesopotamian society as they were the ONLY people who could read and write down important information.

Scribes (cont’d)

It is because Scribes used a reed stem with a triangular end to write data on stone and clay that we know about the Mesopotamian civilization today.

How Was Mesopotamian Society Organized?

Many social groups

Submitted to the authority of the king

Mesopotamians shared the same religion

Political Power in the Cities

10 major cities independent from one another 10 major cities were often rivals Cities were sometimes peaceful, but were at

war after king’s death Cities were built near cultivated lands Surrounded by a protective wall Made of 2 parts: lower city & higher city

Cities were divided into 2 parts:

Lower City Higher City(sacred part)

Included Included “ziggurat” (temple)

houses Included the royal palace Included warehouses