Early Civilization

The history of civilization or perhaps better stated, history of “human like” beings, can be traced back to about 400,000 B. C. E. This time is referred to as the Paleolithic period and it lasted until about 7000 B. C. E. These people were hunter/gathers, killing prey in order to get necessary sustenance in order to survive. Additionally they were nomadic, never establishing roots in one place for too long, often using caves or primitive huts as their sources of shelter. Over time the evolution of stone tools made farming more manageable, allowing a new breed of people to break free from the nomadic ideology and start to establish lives based on agriculture and the raising of animals. This sustained agriculture allowed for a much more developed and anchored society.

Becoming advanced in agriculture through the creation of new seedlings, and developing improved tools such as plows, freed up people to pursue other avenues that would not have been possible if a nomadic life style were to remain the dominant way of life. Agricultural surpluses allowed for “peoples” to exchange/barter goods amongst groups. This allowed for the division of labor which in turn allowed for the honing of other skills. The birth of craftsman and artisans brought the development of new tools, pottery, woven baskets, clothing and even jewelry. Rudimentary governments were being instituted as well, revolving around a recognized central authority, who in turn established laws based on achieving a common goal for the good of whole population. This establishment of agriculture, trade (economics) and “government” lead to the endowment of towns. Eventually, towns built walls around themselves to offer protection from outside intruders. The earliest concentration of walled towns can be found in the Mesopotamia region.

Mesopotamia, “between the rivers” as it is derived from Greek, is the area of land between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. This area is also commonly known as the “Fertile Crescent.” Early civilizations were drawn to the area for its ability to sustain livelihood. The overall climate of the Mesopotamia region was dry and arid. But the rivers in the early summer, after the snow from the northern mountains melted, would flood over their banks and leave behind a rich, fertile silt that would produce many crops. Additionally, farmers developed irrigation systems to draw off the rivers to help supply water on a more predictable schedule. The flooding of the Tigris and Euphrates was very unpredictable and very often destroyed villages and took many lives. Besides drawing off the rivers for water and nutrients, the people used them as transportation sources and a way to establish trade with others. Timbers (cedar) from the Northern area of Mesopotamia were often sent down the river to use for either building or trade.

Besides having the rivers to sustain them, the people of Mesopotamia had found in its geographic makeup some vital natural resources, which helped further the development of its’ civilization. Copper is the first metal that is readily found and is “worked” in to tools and weapons. Tin is later added to copper to make bronze, but most importantly the discovery of iron in this region is seen as one of the greatest assets. Iron was much easier to find and easier to shape and very strong. Through the innovation of farmers developing irrigation systems and the rivers that provided water for nutrients to the soil and pathways to trade partners, this area thrived for allowing the development of civilizations to occur. With the ability to stay in one location, people living together started to share common elements; language, laws, urban focus, history, religion, social structures, trade, education (written, language, schools), intellectual activity, government, military structure and national identity all grew and evolved. Other areas also found newly formed civilizations, often based on the areas ability to sustain ways of life due to the natural resources and geography of the land.

Egyptian civilization, formed very much on the same path that Mesopotamia had. Egypt is situated on the Nile River, which after flooding would leave behind rich silt for agricultural purposes. Also, like those in the Tigris and Euphrates region, farmers developed sophisticated irrigation system to bring water to areas that were in need. But unlike the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers, the Nile would flood on a predictable time table. Floods occurred between the months of June and October. This allowed for better planning and more importantly for the preservation of lives. Besides fertile land for crops Egypt contained enormous quantities of stone, which served as the materials for architecture and sculpting. Clay was abundant too, which was used in pottery. Additionally gold was mined for the use in making jewelry