The document describes the evolution of early human societies from nomadic hunter-gatherer bands in the Paleolithic Age to the rise of early civilizations in places like Sumer, China, the Indus Valley, Mesopotamia, and Ancient Egypt. Key developments included the domestication of plants and animals in the Neolithic Age, which allowed for the growth of permanent villages and surpluses of food, and later the rise of cities with specialized workers, complex institutions, record keeping, and advanced technologies like bronze working.

1. THE BEGINNINGS OF
CIVILIZATION
SOCIAL SCIENCE III

2. Let’s have a quick review…
 Paleolithic Age (Old Stone Age)
 Neolithic Age (New Stone Age)
 The early civilizations

3. PALEOLITHIC AGE
 Old Stone Age
 Men and women of the Paleolithic Age
were nomads.
 Nomads- no permanent homes; wander from
place to place.

4. PALEOLITHIC AGE
 Stone Age’s impressive achievements:
 Variety of tools
 Stones (mostly), wood, and bones
 Learned to control and use fire
 Used spoken language

6. Neanderthal People of the
Paleolithic Age
 Neanderthals developed
“beliefs”
 Carefully buried their
dead (placing tools,
ornaments, food, etc. in
the graves)
 Present was the idea of a
life after death.

7. CRO-MAGNON MAN
 Developers of ART
 Cro-magnon’s art was
mostly found around
Europe and Asia.
 Made ivory and bone
sculptures of birds and
fish.
 Drawings on caves in
Altamira and Lascaux.

8. Environment changed…
 Late Old Stone Age
 Earth’s weather became
cooler.
 Period of the Ice Age
 Because so much of the
earth’s water was
frozen…
 H2O level in the oceans
dropped
 Lands more were exposed
 Land bridges were formed

9. NEW STONE AGE
 Neolithic Period
 Farming developed
 Farmers settled in villages
 Special Skills were developed by village
 Trade and Private property developed

11. Farming Developed
 Tamed wild animals
 Established villages

12. Farmers settled in villages
 Jericho (about 7,000BC)
 Catal Huyuk (in Asia Minor)

13. Special Skills Developed
 Artisans- people with skills in specialized
crafts

14. Trade and Private Property
Developed
 Barter- a kind of trade in which one good
is exchanged for another.

15. CATAL HUYUK
 “basis for the ideas about the life of
Neolithic people”
 It is an agricultural village.
 Obsidian products were present.
 Dark volcanic rock which looks like a glass.
 Religious shrines dedicated to a “mother
goddess”.

17. SUMMARY
 HUNTING-GATHERING BANDS
 Invention of tools, mastery over fire, language,
creation of art
 GROWTH OF VILLAGES
 Agriculture, domestication of animals, breakthroughs
in farming technology, food surpluses
 RISE OF CITIES
 Specialized workers, record keeping, complex
institutions, advanced technologies

18. CIVILIZATIONS
 A complex culture
with these
characteristics:
 Advanced cities
 Specialized workers
 Complex institutions
 Record Keeping
 Advanced technology

19. ELEMENTS OF A CIVILIZATION
 Advanced city  Specialized Workers
 Cities – birthplace of  Because of artisans,
first civilizations cities became thriving
 City is more than a centers of trade.
large group of people
living together.
 Population does not  FYI: Many historians
distinguish a village believed that one of
from a city the first civilizations
 City being a center of arose in Sumer (now
trade Modern Iraq)

20. ELEMENTS OF A CIVILIZATION
 COMPLEX  RECORD KEEPING
 Gov’t officials had to
INSTITUTIONS document tax collecions,
 Institution- a long- passage of laws, storage of
grains.
lasting pattern of
 Priests needed to keep
organization in a track the calendar and
community. other important rituals.
 GOVERNMENT  Merchants had to record
accounts of debts and
 RELIGION payments.
 ECONOMY  NOTE: CUNEIFORM,
SCRIBES

21. ELEMENTS OF A CIVILIZATION
 Advanced  EXAMPLES OF
Technology CIVILIZATIONS
 BRONZE AGE  SUMER
 FYI: Toolmakers  CHINA
discovered how to  INDUS VALLEY
combine copper with a  MESOPOTAMIA
small amount of tin to
make bronze. Bronze  ANCIENT EGYPT
is harder than copper!