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What is a Civilization?
Characteristics
5 Characteristics
Agriculture
Cities
Specialized Labour
Record Keeping
Complex institutions
Agriculture
Seen as most important factor in development of civilization
Farming allowed people to settle in one place
Began when plants and animals were domesticated
Dogs were the first animals to be domesticates (33,000 years ago)
Sheep were also domesticated early on (10,000-11,000 years ago)
Cities
As people started living settling into one place, they formed communities
Those villages developed into towns and cities
Specialized Labour
People begin to specialize in particular occupations/ professions
Doctors, government employees, builders, military specialists, teachers, merchants,
artists
Record Keeping
Record keeping and writing marks the dawn of history. Why does this mark the
beginning:?
Kings, priests, merchants and artisans needed written records to keep track of their
affairs.
Earliest writing was developed in Mesopotamia, and is called cuneiform.
Complex Institutions
Government
Religion
Social Structures
Government
Organized bureaucracy – create the rules and laws of a society
Civil government –enforces law and order
Military – defends country against perceived threats, and obtains more territory for
expansion
Religion
Professional priestly class served the gods who protected the community
Complex organization with a number of different levels of power and authority
Gods deemed crucial to communities success.
Social Structures
Based on economic power
Hierarchy based on who had the most power and wealth
Why are some people seen as more important/necessary than others?
Respond to the following
Are there characteristics of a civilization that you think should be included?
Are there characteristics that you think should be taken out?
What do you notice about what these characteristics say, and what they don’t say?
Who do you think came up with these characteristics? (relates to question 3)
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