What is Civilization?
5 characteristics:
1) Advanced cities
2) Complex institutions
3) Advanced technology
4) Specialized workers
5) Record keeping
CIVILization
Cities; advanced
Institutions; complex
adVanced technology
Individual jobs (specialized workers)
Literate (record keeping)
The First Civilizations• The Neolithic revolution allowed people to
settle down in one place
• Villages grew into cities and complex societies emerged
• Religion developed
• People took on specific occupations (specialization)– Farmer– Priest– Craftsman– Administrator, etc.
UrUr
• Bronze Age Bronze Age civilizationcivilization
• Located in Located in MesopotamiaMesopotamia
• Modern day Modern day IraqIraq
• Population: Population: 30,00030,000
• Around 3000 Around 3000 B.C.E.B.C.E.Ur
Sumerian FirstsSumerian Firsts• 11stst irrigation system irrigation system
• 11stst libraries libraries
• 11stst written contract written contract
• 11stst written laws (Code of written laws (Code of Hammurabi)Hammurabi)
• 11stst literature (Epic of literature (Epic of Gilgamesh)Gilgamesh)
• 11stst effective use of wheel effective use of wheel
Ziggurat
farming
Lower & middle class homes
Central city (homes of priests & royalty)
The King
The Governors
The Aristocracy
The Peasantry
Social and political organization: • The King: had military powers.
• The Governors: governed the territories of the kingdom. Were generals and judges at the same time.
• The aristocracy: Were priests and traders.
• The peasants: People who work the land.
Life in Ur
• Irrigation & specialized agricultural workers lead to food surpluses
• Government officials supervised and planned irrigation and harvests
• Artisans such as bronze workers, potters, and textile workers produced items for trade
Trade in Ur• People in the city’s bazaar (marketplace),
bartered for different items {no Sumerian money}
• Scribes (people who could write) used cuneiform to record complex trades
Sumerian Religion• Polytheist
• Religious life centered around giant temple or ziggurat
• Animal sacrifices
• Each city focused on one particular god
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