Origins of Agriculture, Culture, & Civilization

Origins of Agriculture, Culture, & Civilization

Outcome: Rise of Civilization & Mesopotamia

Rise of Civilization & Mesopotamia

1. Setting the Stagea. How did Agriculture change life for humans?

i. Began dwelling in larger, more organized communities

ii. Cities gradually grewiii. Economics began to matter


2. Villages Grow into Citiesa. Farming became easier due to advances in technology and

domestication of animalsb. Bigger harvests also resulted from better technology c. Fact: The more food you have in supply, the bigger the

population that can be supportedd. As cities grew, so did responsibilities ---> not everyone farmed

anymoree. The wheel and the sail allowed trade to occur over longer

distancesf. No currency yetg. Social Classes began to emergeh. Religion became more organized


3. How Civilization Developsa. A Civilization is a complex culture with 5

characteristicsi. Advanced Cities

1. Size alone does not distinguish a city from a village

2. Must be a center for trade


ii. Specialized Workers1.Specialization: the development of skills in a specific

kind of work2.Artisans: skilled workers who make goods by hand


iii. Complex Institutions1.Institution: a long-lasting pattern of organization in a

community2. Ex: Government, religion, and the economy


iv. Record Keeping1.Ex. Tax collecting, passage of laws, storage of

grain2.Around 3000 B.C. Sumerian scribes (professional

record keepers) invented a writing system called cuneiform.

3.Cuneiform: wedge shaped point pressed into wet clay to make symbols. P. 21


v. Advanced Technology1. Ex: Ox drawn plows, potters wheel, using bronze2. Melt copper and tin together = bronze

(more durable and malleable)

Mesopotamia

Also known as The Fertile Crescent


4. Geography of Mesopotamiaa. Located in modern day Iraqb. Rich land and curved shape led scholars to call it the Fertile

Crescentc. Tigris and Euphrates Rivers run through regiond. Rivers unpredictably flood yearly leaving thick layer of

mineral rich silte. Periods of no rain could cause desert conditions. Solution:

irrigation.f. No natural barriers in Mesopotamia for protection. Solution: they

built wallsg. Natural resources were scarce. Solution: trade networks were

established.

Sumer


5. Sumerians Create City-Statesa. The Sumerians exemplified the 5 characteristics of

a civilizationb. Sumerians developed city-states: city that functioned like an

independent countryc. Early government was controlled by temple priestsd. Ziggurat was a place of worship and like a town halle. In some cases, military leaders became full-time rulers and passed

powers to sonsf. Dynasty: series of rulers from same family lineg. Cultural Diffusion: ideas or products spread from one culture

to another through conquest and trade

Ziggurat


6. Sumerian Culturea. Sumerians were polytheistic: belief in more than one godb. When you died you went to the “land of no return,” a

dismal and gloomy placec. Sumerians had social classes (see pyramid to right)d. Sumerian women had more rights than many later

Civilizationse. Ur was one of the world’s first cities

i. Flourished 5,000 years agoii. 30,000 peopleiii. City wallsiv. Used the barter system for tradev. Worshipped at the ziggurat

Ur


f. Sargon of Akkad conquered Sumer in 2350 B.C.g. Sargon created the world’s first empire: the

bringing together of several peoples or nations under the control of one ruler.

h. Babylonian ruler Hammurabi came up with Hammurabi’s Code

i. Hammurabi’s Code: single, uniform set of laws engraved in stone to help unify diverse groups within his empire

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Origins of Agriculture, Culture, & Civilization