Download Fusion Civilization - White Plains Public Schools

Civilization
World History/Napp
“Agriculture marked a dramatic change in how people lived together. They began
dwelling in larger, more organized communities, such as farming villages and towns. From
some of these settlements, cities gradually emerged, forming the backdrop of a more
complex way of life – civilization. As people gradually developed the technology to control
their natural environment, they reaped larger harvests. Settlements with a plentiful supply
of food could support larger populations.
To cultivate more land and to produce extra crops, ancient people in larger villages built
elaborate irrigation systems. The resulting food surpluses freed some villagers to pursue
other jobs. Specialization occurred or people performed different jobs. Individuals who
learned to become craftspeople created valuable new products, such as pottery, metal
objects, and woven cloth. In turn, people who became traders profited from a broader
range of goods to exchange. Two important inventions – the wheel and the sail – also
enabled traders to move more goods over longer distances. As other special groups of
workers formed, social classes with varying wealth, power, and influence began to emerge.
Religion also became more organized. Farming peoples worshiped the many gods and
goddesses who they believed had power over the rain, wind, and other forces of nature.
Most historians believe that one of the first civilizations arose in Sumer. Sumer was
located in Mesopotamia (the land between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers), a region that
is part of modern Iraq. A civilization is often defined as a complex culture with five
characteristics: advanced cities, specialized workers, complex institutions, record keeping,
and advanced technology. Cities were the birthplaces of the first civilizations. Food
surpluses made cities possible and provided the opportunity for specialization – the
development of skills in a specific kind of work. Some city dwellers became artisans –
skilled workers who make goods by hand. The wide range of crafts artisans produced
helped cities become centers of trade. The soaring populations of cities made government
necessary. In civilizations, leaders emerged to maintain order and to establish laws.
Most civilizations developed a system of writing, though some devised other methods of
record keeping. Around 3000 B.C., Sumerian scribes – or professional record keepers –
invented a system of writing called cuneiform meaning ‘wedge-shaped.’” ~ World History
1- How did the introduction of agriculture change how people lived together?
2- What kind of settlement could support a larger population?
3- Why were irrigation systems built?
4- Define specialization.
5- How did the wheel and the sail help traders?
6- Why did social classes develop?
7- Where did the first civilization develop?
8- Define Mesopotamia.
9- What are the five characteristics of civilization?
10- What did food surpluses make possible?
11- Define artisan.
12- Why were cities centers of trade?
13- What made government necessary?
14- Why did writing develop?
15- What was cuneiform?
The primary reason ancient peoples of the
Nile River valley built levees, dikes, and
reservoirs was to
1. purify sacred waters
2. create a shorter route to distant cities
3. defend against invaders
4. increase agricultural production
The ancient Sumerians modified their
environment to increase food production by
1. building terraces
2. removing rain forests
3. digging irrigation canals
4. developing chinampas
The development of which early civilization
was influenced most directly by the Tigris
River, the Zagros Mountains, and the
Syrian Desert?
1. Chinese
2. Maya
3. Egyptian
4. Mesopotamian
Which name identifies the region located
between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers?
1. Mesopotamia
3. Peninsula
2. Horn of Africa
4. Isthmus
Specialization of labor:
1. can only exist in a society which
produces a food surplus.
2. allows for sophisticated craft work (e.g.,
weaving, metalworking, pottery
manufacturing).
3. is a characteristic of “civilized”
societies.
4. all the above.
Where did the world’s first civilization
develop?
1. Mesopotamia
2. Crete
3. Egypt
4. Eastern China
Dating close to 6,000 years ago, and
developed in Mesopotamia, _____ is the
earliest writing form in the world.
1. cuneiform
2. hieroglyphics
3. clay-tablet symbology
4. runes
“Ur, one of the earliest cities in Sumer, stood on the banks of the Euphrates River in what
is now southern Iraq. Some 30,000 people once lived in this ancient city. Ur was the site of
a highly sophisticated civilization. By around 3000 B.C., Ur was a flourishing urban
civilization. People in Ur lived in well-defined social classes. Rulers, as well as priests and
priestesses, wielded great power. Wealthy merchants profited from foreign trade. Artists
and artisans created lavish jewelry, musical instruments, and gold daggers. Yet still the
majority of people were peasant laborers who farmed to produce the food surpluses
necessary for civilization.
Ur’s tallest and most important building was the temple. Like a city within a city, the
temple was surrounded by a heavy wall. Within the temple gate, a massive, tiered structure
towered over the city. This pyramid-shaped monument was called a ziggurat, which meant
“mountain of god.” On the exterior of the ziggurat, a flight of perhaps 100 mud-brick stairs
led to the top. At the peak, priests conducted rituals to worship the city god who loomed
over Ur. The temple also housed storage areas for grains, woven fabrics, and gems –
offerings to the city’s god. Sumerians had elaborate burial rituals and believed in an
afterlife.
The Sumerians lived in city-states. Each city had its own government and was
surrounded by its own fields for farming.” ~ World History
1- How many people lived in Ur?
2- What were the different social classes of Ur?
3- Define ziggurat.
4- What did priests conduct at the peak of the ziggurat?
5- Define city-state.
Where was Ur located?
How does geography help to
explain the rise of the city-state
of Ur?
What else can you determine
about the region from the map?
Sumerian Science and Technology
Historians believe that Sumerians invented the wheel, the sail, and the plow and that they
were among the first to use bronze.
Many new ideas and inventions arose from the Sumerians’ practical needs.
• Arithmetic and geometry
In order to erect city walls and buildings, plan irrigation systems, and survey flooded fields,
Sumerians needed arithmetic and geometry. They developed a number system in base 60,
from which stem the modern units for measuring time (60 seconds = 1 minute) and the
360 degrees of a circle.
• Architectural innovations
Arches, columns, ramps, and the pyramid shaped the design of the ziggurat and
permanently influenced Mesopotamian civilization.
• Cuneiform
Sumerians created a system of writing. One of the first known maps was made on a clay
tablet in about 2300 B.C. Other tablets contain some of the oldest written records of
scientific investigations in the areas of astronomy, chemistry, and medicine.
1- Where was Mesopotamia located?
2- Why did the Sumerians develop a number system in base 60?
3- Why did the Sumerians develop writing?
4- What do historians call Sumerian writing?