What is a Civilization A look at the

What is a Civilization? A look at the earliest civilizations in Mesopotamia

6 Elements of a Civilization • • • Cities Government Religion Art Class Division Writing

Farming Revolution • Farming Revolution started about 10, 000 years ago • Domestication-tame plants and animals for human use • Villages grew as nomadic life changed for farming • Specialization-development of different types of job, not everyone needed for food collection

Mesopotamia-Cradle of Civilization • “Land between 2 rivers” – Tigris and Euphrates Rivers – Floods once a year leaving behind rich soil good for farming – Travel, trade, – Irrigation

The Fertile Crescent

Rise of the First Civilization • Between 4000 -3000 BC in Mesopotamia (Iraq today) • Complex societies arose which had cities, government, art, religion, class division, and writing

Cities of Mesopotamia • Sumer – City-state with own independent government and defenses (like a country) – 3500 -2800 BC

Government • Organized to provide for basic needs of people – Food, buildings, laws, army • Hammurabi – Ruler of Babylon in Mesopotamia – Created a code of laws which was a first step toward a fair system of justice

Religion • Polytheistic-many gods – Had powers over natural forces and human activities • Ziggurat – Temple – “mountain of god”

Art • Developed after basic needs are met

Class Division • Your place in society based on your job or power. king priest, govt. officials artisans, merchants, farmers, fishers slaves

Writing • keep track of records, ideas -Sumer=cuneiform -oldest story, Epic of Gilgamesh

Do we live in a civilization today? How do you know that?