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Download 7 Characteristics of Early Civilizations
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7 Characteristics of Civilization 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) 7) Urban centers (cities) Centralized government Organized religion Social classes Writing or record-keeping Monument building Specialized jobs and occupations Mesopotamia: The World’s First Civilization (Began c. 3000 BC) Geography Literally “land between two rivers” (Tigris, Euphrates) -Soil is fertile -Food supply is stable -Flooding is unpredictable -Few natural barriers The Sumerians By 3000 BC, villages grew into city-states (ex.: Ur, Erech, Kish) -Each was independent -Controlled surrounding farmland -Constantly battled w/each other for resources and control Sumerian City-States Sumerian City-State of Ur QuickTime™ and a decompressor are needed to see this picture. Lugals (leaders)… • were the representatives of the gods on earth • commanded absolute power Religion Sumerians believed… -in many gods (polytheistic) -that a council of gods and goddesses ruled the earth -that the gods decided the fate of individuals and cities -in an unhappy afterlife Ziggurats- temples to the gods of the city-states Written Language Need for accurate records led to the development of writing -System began with pictograms and ideograms -Later simplified with the use of symbols to represent sounds and syllables (cuneiform) A stylus was used to make wedge-shaped symbols on tablets of wet clay. Legacy • • • • • World’s first civilization First to use the wheel, sail, and plow Developed a base 60 number system 12 month calendar Ziggurats may have influenced Egyptian pyramids QuickTime™ and a decompressor are needed to see this picture. Quic kTime™ and a dec ompres sor are needed to see this pic ture.
