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The rise of civilizations history
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The emergence of civilizations came with first cities, states, and unequal societies. For instance, Sumer developed as a river valley civilization along with Nubia, which developed on the Nile, closer to the Great Riff Valley, with high elevation. Egypt, however, lived in isolation. On the upper hand, they had a stable community and strong economical power. Other communities, such as Notre Chico, developed a stable home in the Andes Mountains. They practiced terraced farming in order to grow crops to sustain life. The Notre Chico inhabitants also kept track of taxes and events with a "quipu," a series of colored, knotted strings and cords. This civilization was very advanced compared to the Olmec region. The Olmecs prospered in modern day
The Kunz Axe is a votive axe that is associated with the Olmec culture. It was found in the hills of Oaxaca, Mexico by George Kunz in 1890. The axe appears to be dating around 800-500 BC, which is part of the Middle Formative period. Although this artifact is considered an axe, it does not mean that this was its function. The votive axe appears more of a sculpture and it is “more likely that it was used in ritual settings” (Milner Library, n.d.). The material that was used to made this artifact is jade. Because the artifact was made out of jade, it is believed that it was “reserved for the adornment of gods and royalty” (The Met, n.d.). The Kunz Axe has a blue green color and it is about eleven inches high. It appears to depict a human with
Cultures had been flourishing thousands of years before the Europeans arrived to the New World. Great empires such as the Aztecs, Mayans, and Incas inhabited the vast lands of Central and South America. These three major powers controlled the land before Columbus or Cortez were even born. Although the Pre-Columbian civilizations and the Europeans shared some similar ideas, life was very different in the New World compared with that of Middle Age Europe.
During the years of 3500 BC to 2500 BC, the geography of a land often impacted a civilizations development in great measures. Depending on the resources available or the detriments present due to certain topographical characteristics like rivers or deserts, a civilization could flourish or collapse. By studying the geographic features of growing societies like the Nile, Euphrates, and Tigris Rivers as well as the Mediterranean Sea of Egypt and Mesopotamia, the link between developing cultures and geography will be examined through sources, including Egypt: Ancient Culture, Modern Land edited by Jaromir Malek and Babylon: Mesopotamia and the Birth of Civilization by Paul Kriwaczek. To determine the extent of its influence, this investigation will attempt to compare and contrast the role of geography in ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia, focusing on the civilizations’ various periods of development and settlement.
The ancient civilizations of Mesopotamia and Egypt began to develop circa 3,000 B.C. Located near rivers, the lands offered fertile soil and an excess of crops that drew in many people. As more people arrived, the small settlements flourished into large, thriving civilizations. Many aspects of Mesopotamia and Egypt, such as their cities, their strongly organized government, and their religion, greatly contributed to the success of these two civilizations.
The Initial Olmec (1400-1000 B.C.E) which is the start of this civilization is when the the first raised fields were built. The Olmec area had a very poor are to do agriculture in, causing problems. These were ridges that were built on swampy terrain which were separated by the channels of water. This was a way to make the plants irrigated. The next great site, San Lorenzo, was built. This place i...
One reason why I think Egypt was more unified, was the gift of the Nile. In my personal opinion people are products of their environment. The Nile, was one element that made living for a large population possible. The laid back atmosphere led the people to come together to create simple, but efficient ways of fertilizing the ground; furthermore, the fertile rich area allowed prosperity in crops and gave everyone piece of mind that they were not going to starve. (text, 73) On the other hand, Mesopotamia’s two rivers the Tigris and Euphrates, required people to create ways of irrigation to make the land more fertile for crops. (text, 59) The overall view of Mesopotamia’s greed arose from the possibility of loosing crops due to the floods. (text, 59) In other words, the land did not provide a great guara...
The First Civilizations of the world were the stepping-stone into modern society, and the original basis as to what our modern society has become. Reading through the assigned text in Ways of the World: A Brief Global History by Robert W. Strayer, in the chapter titled “First Civilizations: Cities, States, and Unequal Societies”, the reader is introduced into what evolved into the world in which we currently live in. (Please note that the writer will be referring to text from Strayer’s 2011 edition of the text, in comparison to the modern version.) The entire chapter discusses the way that the civilizations emerged, as well as how equality was eventually diminished from the society, Mesoamerica, and the six civilizations themselves: Olmec, Norte Chico, Nile Valley, Mesopotamia, Indus Valley, and China. The chapter begins with asking, the general questions: “Who? What? When? Where? Why?” Giving a brief history, the first civilizations began to rise in the time period of 3500 B.C.E. and 3000 B.C.E. in the three most geographically historic regions in the world: The Middle East, Sumer, and Egypt. These places consisted of cities, political systems, and were responsible for economic input and output.
The ancient cultures of Mesopotamia and Egypt developed into successful civilizations. One civilization the Egyptians developed was in the Nile River valley. Based off the "Mesopotamia and Egypt DBQ" packet, "Ancient Egypt was an advanced civilization in many areas including religion, architecture, transportation, and trade. Ancient Mesopotamia was one of the first civilizations that developed a form of government as well as organized people in political states." Based on the documents, Egypt and Mesopotamia developed into successful and advanced civilizations by effectively using the resources that surrounded them to solve problems and live happily.
The Maya built their civilization in part on ideas they inherited from a people called the Olmec. The Olmec lived in the jungle areas on the east coast of Mexico. Their civilization reached its peak between 1200 and 500 B.C.E.
The Olmec built large temples out of stone. One of these temples was one of the first pyramid. These temples were used for prayer, sacrifice, and other religious practices. This was included because religion was a great part of the Olmec civilization. Another great building marvel of the Olmec are their large 40 ton heads of of basalt. None of them are alike and they are crafted with great detail. It is not known exactly why they build these heads, but it is believed that these are heads of the Olmec Elites. This detail was included because the heads are a signature structure of the Olmec civilization. Not only were the Olmec able to make these huge marvels, they were also great artists. They
A Comparison Between the Egyptian Architecture and that of Olmecs Ancient History Assignment "Egyptian architecture is more advanced than the architecture of the Olmecs" For centuries, the dedicated craftsmen of Egypt have been developing a range of techniques and skills, which have been passed down from generation to generation. The result is that our fair kingdom now boasts some of the most elaborate and sophisticated examples of advanced architecture in the world as we know it. We have fine pottery; furniture embellished with delicate indentations; enormous monuments representing celestial beings; hypostyle halls; pylons, courtyards, two-dimensional carvings depicting myths and pictorial impressions of the afterlife; intrinsically decorated sculptures; and a myriad of beautified tools and elaborately designed utensils for both ornamental and practical purposes. However, our most attractive creation, in my opinion is our majestic, beautifully designed, jewel-encrusted pyramids.
Approximately 5500 years ago four of the worlds' most prestigious ancient river civilizations had emerged. Our world has been left in astonishment and awe wondering how these civilizations were developed. Egypt and Mesopotamia were the first ancient river civilizations to create cities and their own ways of living. Society, geography, and religion played an enormous role in the development of the ancient cities. Although there is evidence of early Sumerian contact with the Egyptians, Egypt's civilization was largely self-generated and its history and cultural patterns differed from Mesopotamia.
Millions of years ago the procreant low lands in the river basins of Euphrates and Tigris was probably the home of some animal life, but no great civilizations. However, things change over time, and just a few thousand years ago the same fertile low lands in the river basins of Euphrates and Tigris became the home of a very rich and complex society. This first high society of man was located in what some still call "Mesopotamia". The word "Mesopotamia" is in origin a Greek name meaning "land between the rivers." The name is used for the area watered by the Euphrates and Tigris and its tributaries, roughly comprising modern Iraq and part of Syria. South of modern Bagdad, this alluvial plain was called the land of Sumer and Akkad. Sumer is the most southern part, while the land of Akkad is the area around modern Bagdad, where the Euphrates and Tigris are closest to each other. This first high, Mesopotamian society arose as a combined result of various historical, institutional, and religious factors. The reality of these factors occurring at a specific place within the fabric of space / time indeed established the basis for this first high civilization. Items like irrigation, topography, and bronze-age technical innovations played a big part along with the advent of writing and the practice of social conditioning (through the use of organized religion) in this relatively early achievement of man.
Cities are the central feature of a civilization. The first cities emerged shortly after farmers began cultivating fertile lands along river valleys and producing surplus foods. These surpluses allowed the population to expand. As population grew, some villages expanded into cities. These cities rose independently in the valleys of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.
For thousands of years, people all over the world have developed, progressed, and eventually formed civilizations. A civilization is a community characterized by elements such as a system of writing, a development of social classes, and cities. Early civilizations such as ancient Greece, classical Rome, Mesopotamia, and classical China have made many contributions to society that still affect people in the modern world. The inventions, progress, and contributions of the people of these ancient civilizations and others have shaped the world that we all live in today.