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The Path to Civilization. A Revolutionary Journey. The Road to Civilization. It Had to Start Somewhere. The road to civilization. Needed Some Building Blocks. The Road to Civilization . This was not something that Happened Overnight. The Road to Civilization.
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The Path to Civilization A Revolutionary Journey
The Road to Civilization It Had to Start Somewhere
The road to civilization Needed Some Building Blocks
The Road to Civilization This was not something that Happened Overnight
The Road to Civilization It Took Some Time To Go From This…
The Road to civilization To This…
The road to civilization To This…
The Road to civilization To This!!!
The Road to Civilization So How Did the Journey Start? Hold On Tight!! You Are About to Find Out!!
The Growth of Civilizations • Villages Grow into Cities • Population grows as nomadic hunter-gatherers settle into village life • Economic changes • Large cities build irrigation systems to raise more crops which result in food surpluses • Some individuals can now pursue other jobs and develop new skills • Ancient settlers become craftspeople (make metal objects, pottery, woven goods) • Merchants now had more goods to trade • The wheel and the sail enable traders to transport more goods over longer distances • Social Changes • More complex and prosperous economy results in a more complex set of social classes • People with varying degrees of wealth and power start to emerge as cities grow
6 Characteristics of Civilization • Cities • As populations grew, cities became the centers of early civilizations. • Religion • Early people developed religions to explain nature. Early people also believed in deities – or gods – would help them. Rulers said their right to rule came from the deities. • Art and architecture • Large buildings, such as palaces for the ruler and temples for the deities, were built. Craft workers and artisans decorated them with statues, paintings, and beautiful furniture. • Social classes • As people began to do different kinds of jobs, some became wealthier than others. A social hierarchy was set up based on wealth. At the top was the ruler and his family. They were the wealthiest and the most important people. Next came priests and warrior nobles. Merchants and craft workers were the third level. Farmers were the least wealthy. Below them were slaves. • Writing • Not all civilizations developed writing, but many did. Writing was used to keep tax records for the government. • Government • Large numbers of people need a single government. Government keeps order and helps people work together.
The Growth of Civilizations • Advanced Cities-center of trade for a larger area (farmers, merchants, and traders bring goods to city to do business); not just dependent on population although cities have large populations • Specialized Workers-traders, government officials, priests, etc. People develop skills in a specific kind of work because they no longer need to worry about getting food. Artisans are skilled workers who make goods by hand. • Complex Institutions-Government, religion, and economy are examples of institutions. An institution is a long-lasting pattern of organization in a community. Temples in cities became important institutions where religious, economic, and governmental activities took place. • Record Keeping-As government, religion, and trade became more complex people needed to keep records (tax collection, passage of laws, rituals, etc.). Sumerian scribes (professional record-keepers) used cuneiform to keep records. Some began to keep record of important events which became the first written histories of cities. • Advanced Technology-New tools and techniques were needed to solve problems. Animals were used for labor with the invention of the plow, irrigation systems for watering crops. Development also of pottery wheel and bronze (mix of copper and tin) to make weapons and tools.