Chapter 3 – Lesson 3

Civilization
Latin word came from
Civis which refers to who lives
in a city
Civets which refers to the urban
community in which one dwells
Civilization
Refers to societies which
large numbers of people
live in the cities.
States
The inhabitants of the cities
that are socially stratified and
governed by a ruling elite who
work through centrally
organized political systems.
As Neolithic villages
grew into towns, the
world’s first cities
developed.
Between 4500 and 6000
years ago, first in
Mesopotamia (Iraq), then
in Egypt’s Nile Valley and
Indus Valley (Pakistan
and India)
In China, civilization started
5000 years ago.
The first American and Indian
appeared in Peru approximately
4000 years ago and in
Mesoamerica about 2000 years
ago.
 The first feature of
cities is their large
size in terms of land
area and population.
However, cities are
more than just
overgrown towns.
Catalhoyuk
 A compact 9500year old settlement in
south-central Turkey.
 More than 5000 inhabitants
 People traversed the roofs of the
neighboring houses and dropped
trough a hole to get into their own
houses.
 People never intensified their
agricultural practices.
 By contrast, archeological
evidence from early urban
centers demonstrate organized
planning by a central
authority, technological
intensification and social
stratification.
For example, flood control
and protection were vital
components of the great
ancient cities of the Indus
River valley.
Mohenjodaro
 An urban center approximately 4500 years
ago
 With at least 20 000
 Built an artificial mound, safe from
flood
 The streets were laid out in a grid
pattern and included individual homes
with sophisticated drainage system.
 Ancient people
incorporated their
spiritual beliefs and
social order into the
cities they built.
Teotihuacan
 The great Mesoamerican city, founded 2200
years ago
 Translated the solar calendar into a unified
spatial patterns
 The Street of the Dead – a grand north-
south axis running from the Pyramid of
the Moon and bordered by the Pyramid of
the Sun and the royal palace compound –
east of true north.
Clear evidence for
both social and
economic diversity
exist in Teotihucan
Six levels of society can be
reorganized by variation
in size and quality of
apartment rooms.
Like other ancient cities
throughout the world,
Mohenjodaro and
Teotihuacan were more
than expanded Neolithic
villages.
 Emergence of urban
living is considered by
some to be one of the
great developments in
the human culture.
Rise
of
Cities
 Four basic changes
mark the transition
from Neolithic village
life to life in the first
urban centers.
A. Agricultural
Innovation
Changes in farming
methods
distinguished early
civilizations from
Neolithic villages.
 The ancient Sumerians
built an extensive system
like dikes, canals and
reservoirs to irrigate their
farmlands.
 Irrigation was an
important factor that
increased crop yield,
contributed to the high
population densities of
ancient civilizations.
 When farming became
permanent, population rose.
Areas near bodies of water
were developed into
agricultural lands; even dry
areas were able to participate
in food production.
B.
Diversification
of
Labor
In Neolithic period,
every family member
participated in the
planting of crops.
 High crop yields made
possible by new farming
methods and increased
population permitted a
sizable number of people to
pursue non agricultural
activities on a full-time basis.
 Ancient records
document a variety
of specialized
workers.
Through specialization
came the expertise that
led to the invention of
new ways of making
and doing things.
Bronze Age
A period marked by the
production of tools and
ornaments made of bronze.
Metals were in great demand for
the manufacture of tools used
by artisans and farmers, as well
as weapons.
The indigenous civilizations of
the Americas also used
metals. In South America,
copper, silver and gold were
used for tools as well as
ceremonial and ornamental
objects.
The Aztecs and Maya used
the same soft metals for
making ceremonial and
ornamental objects while
continuing to rely on
stone for their everyday
tools.
Early civilizations also
developed extensive
trade systems to
produce the raw
materials needed for
their technologies.
C. Social
Stratification
Brought by the rise of
large, economically
diversified populations
presided over by
centralized governing
authorities with it.
 For example, symbols of
special status and privilege
appeared in the ancient cities
of Mesopotamia where
people ranked according to
the kind of work they did or
family into which they were
born.
People who stood or near the
head of government were the
earliest holders of status. The
possession of wealth and the
influence it could buy
became in itself a requisite
for high status.
 Social stratification is
reflected in their laws and
other written documents,
archeological features
(dwelling size and location)
and mortuary evidences
(included burial customs and
grave goods).
In the past stratified societies,
the dominant groups often
lived longer, ate better and
enjoyed an easier life than
lower ranking members of
the society, just as they do
today.
D. Central
Government
The emergence of a
governing elite.
The challenges new cities
faced because of their
result size and complexity
required a strong central
authority.
The governing elite saw to
it that different interest
groups, provided their
respective services and
did not infringe on one
another.
 Just as they do today,
governments in the past
ensured that the cities
were safe from their
enemies by constructing
fortifications and raising
an army.
They levied taxes and
appointed tax collectors
Legal claims received
justice according to
standards of legal system
They guaranteed safety for
the lives and property of
the ordinary people and
assured that any harm
done to one person by
another would be justly
handed.
Surplus food had to be
stored for times of
scarcity, and public
works had to be
supervised by
competent, fair
individuals.
Evidence of centralized
authority in ancient
civilizations comes from
sources, such as law
codes, temple records
and royal chronicle.
 Excavation of city
structures themselves
provides additional
evidence because they
can show definite signs
of city planning.
 Ancient sites where
centralized government
exists include the
Teotihuacan,
Mesopotamian city-states
of Sumer, Ur, Lagash and
Nippur.
Another indicator of
the existence of
centralized authority
is writing or some
form of recorded
information.
Earliest
Forms
of
Governments
A king and his advisors
typically headed the
earliest city
governments.
Hammurabi
The Babylonian king who lived
in Mesopotamia between
3700and 3950 years ago.
Issued a set of laws now known
as the Code of Hammurabi.
Code of Hammurabi
It prescribed the correct form of
legal procedures and determined
penalties of perjury and false
accusations.
It contained laws applying to
property rights, laws and debts,
family rights and even damages
paid for malpractice by a physician.
It defined fixed rates to be
charged in various trades and
branches and of commerce and
mechanisms to protect the poor,
women, children and slaves
against injustice.
 Other civilizations
possessed a widespread
governing bureaucracy
that was very efficient at
every level, like the
government of Inca
empire.
Inca Civilization of Peru
Surpassed every other
civilization of the Americas and
most of those in Eurasia.
An emperor, regarded as the
divine son of the Sun God,
headed the government.
Under him came the royal family,
the aristocracy, imperial
administrators and lower nobility,
and below them the masses of
artisans, craftsmen and farmers.
Agricultural and tax officials
Teams of professional relay
runners