Foundations of Civilization

the building blocks of society

Terms to Know

• Surplus – an excess of something (food)

• Cultural diffusion – the spread of customs, ideas, and technology from one group to another

• Traditional economy – economic decisions are based on custom, ritual, and tradition

• Civilization – a complex, organized society

What are the main features of a civilization?

• Cities• Well-organized central government• Complex religion• Job specialization• Social classes• Arts and architecture• Public works• Writing

Cities

• People need to live close together to maintain farms

• Buildings need to be permanent

• Walls are needed to protect the cities from enemy groups

Organized Governments

• Oversaw irrigation projects for farming

• Created laws• Collected taxes for

big projects• Organized defense• Sometimes became

powerful in religious ceremonies

Complex Religions

• Polytheistic• Gods often controlled

forces of nature (sun, wind, storms, rivers, etc.) and human activities (war, trade, birth)

• Priests wanted to win the favor of the gods

• People built temples, prayed, and made sacrifices when they needed help from the gods

Job Specialization

• City dwellers could not master all of the skills needed to produce everything they needed, so they began division of labor, giving people specific jobs

• People began to specialize and produce certain goods

• Artisans: skilled craftspeople - builders, blacksmiths, craftsmen, bakers, farmers, traders

• Caused increased dependency on others

Social Classes

• People ranked by their profession

• Priests usually at the top

• Government officials and military came next

• Merchants and artisans were lower

• Slaves at the bottom

Arts and Architecture

• Expressed the ideas and beliefs of a civilization

• Temples are prime example

• Big buildings often decorated

• Sculptures, jewelry, paintings, statues

Public Works

• Irrigation systems• Roads• Defense walls• Very expensive, take

a long time to build• Necessary for a

civilization to grow and be safe

Writing

• Appeared in temples• Needed to record

information about the seasons, rituals, and prayers

• Important for keeping track of events and government business

• Also important for merchants

Where did the First Civilizations Emerge?

• Africa

• Egypt

• Mesopotamia

• India

• China

• Central and South America