PART I:
THE ORIGINS OF
CIVILIZATION
PART I
 Paleolithic
Age
– Humans had spread around globe
– Humans were hunter-gatherers
– Life style could not support large numbers
– Man makes tools of stone, bone
 Began
around 9,000 BCE
– Rise of agriculture
– Culture becomes increasingly complex
RISE OF NEOLITHIC
 Areas
where Neolithic cultures arose
– Harsh environments
– Water shortages
– Few reliable sources of foodstuffs
 Causes
of the Neolithic Revolution
– Development, spread of agriculture
– Domestication of animals
– Improvement of technology
ASPECTS OF NEOLITHIC AGE
 Effects
of Neolithic Age
– Sedentary culture develops
– Surplus of food leads to increased
populations
– Rise of differentiated occupations
– Complex cultures
– Gender relations change
– Humans begin to change environment
– Communicable diseases become common
PALEOLITHIC vs. NEOLITHIC
 Many
resist sedentarism
– Pastoralists
– Hunter-Gatherers survive until 20th
century
 Development
uneven across regions
 Change often slow
 Indigenous development vs. diffusion
CIVILIZATION’S

ST
1
PHASE
Five major centers beginning around 4,500
BCE
–
–
–
–
–
Tigris and Euphrates Rivers (Mesopotamia)
Nile River Valley
Indus River Valley
Northern China (Huang He)
Central America
Civilizations arose in few areas, spread out
 Often arose around control of water

– Called “hydraulic” (Hydro = water) civilizations
– Irrigation, flood control at center of power,
changes

Ancient period lasts generally to 1000 BCE
THE CULTURE OF CIVILIZATION

Permanent Institutions
–
–
–
–
Religious: Theocracies, priesthoods, polytheism
Political: Monarchy, aristocracy, militaries
Social: Rise of classes
Gender: Patriarchy
Trade and Commerce
 Systems of Record Keeping
 Intellectual Traditions

– Arts, Architecture
– Literatures
WIDER CONTACTS
 Each
civilization had particular patterns
 Effects of Geography
– Either facilitated, hindered communication
– Strengthened, weakened local culture
 Contacts
– War, Trade, Diseases
– Nomads
– Migration
PROBLEMS OF WORLD
HISTORY
Role of technology, effects on environment
 Comparisons between civilizations
 Importance of early heritages

– How much did ancient influence later cultures
– How much is later, indigenous development
When did ancient period end?
 Can we compare ancient, modern eras?
