A brief description of how a civilization starts

1. Emergence of Civilization
 A highly organizaed
society with:
• Farming
• Trade
• Government
• Art
• science
Mohenjo-Daro,near the Indus River in Pakistán

2. River Valley Civilizations
 They rose from farming settlements in river
valleys like:
 * The Nile river (Egypt )
 * The earliest ones in the valley of the
Tigris and Euphrates (Iraq)Babylon
 * Indus river valley (South Asia )
 * Huang He valley (East Asia )

3. The Economy of a Civilization
 First Irrigation
Systems
1. Rainfall
2. Digging ditches , small canals and
simple reservoirs
3. Built dikes and dams
 Specialization of
Labor
1. Artisans Animal irrigation system, Egypt
metalworkers used bronze: jewerly, eating
utensils, weapons, etc.
Used only by kings, priests and soldiers.
• Long Distance
Trade
• Goods transported by land or water
and cultural diffusion emerged. Golden cup-Gilan (2000-1000 B.C.) Irán

4. The Rise of Cities
Early cities had from 5,000 to 30,000 residents (neolithic
village 200)
FIRST PROBLEMS:
• Bring food to city markets
• Bild dams and irrigation systems
• Nomadic groups raid and pillage farms and attack caravans
SOLUTIONS:
• Government officials: administration of farming
surpluses and organize and direct large-scale construction
projects: major buildings, dams, etc.
• Professional soldiers: guard their territory and trade
routes

5. Levels of Social Standing and
Invention of Writing
 SOCIAL  WRITING
STANDING  Originated records
 Archeological priests to register :
evidence of the wheat, cloth, livestock,
position of ruling religious offerings.
class  1. marks and pictures
=>products
 Treasures /buried  2. marks and pictures
 Physical layout of =>abstract ideas
cities  3. Later => sounds,
heads of households
 4. Info about king’s
battle victories, legal
codes, medical texts,

6. In what ways were
each of the early
civilizations unique?
How were they
different?

7. How did the river
valley civilizations lay
the foundations for
the global civilization
that we know today?
Want to study about the 4 river valley
civilizations?
Want to know how to create a free online
timeline?
Want to visit museums with info about
Mesopotamia,
India, China and Egypt? Visit:
://edtech2.boisestate.edu/schneiderk/502/webquest/start.html