Rise and Decline of Ancient Civilizations

Question: Describe how ancient civilizations emerged in various parts of the world, developed into powerful and influential states, and then declined over time.

Plato once quoted, “Necessity is the mother of invention”. During the Prehistoric era, early humans needed to survive in the environment around them, thus creating close-knit nomadic hunter-gathers. With the rise of the Agricultural Revolution, early humans adapted new ways of finding food creating food surpluses that started a population boom. From farming villages to major cities, it created civilizations that once rose and fell. These civilizations created a large impact that affects today.

Before the Neolithic Period, early modern humans were nomadic people that traveled

from one destination to another to find food. Groups of twenty or thirty nomads either hunted or gathered food. Normally within these groups, men game while women and children gathered berries, fruits, roots, nuts, shellfish, and grains. But things changed with early modern humans developed innovations that would help them farm making a transition from nomadic groups to farmers settling in small farming villages. With the creation of farming, early modern humans domesticated animals and plants. With animals that being domesticated, they provide humans with skins and producing milk, which was used to make butter, and other dairy products.
After humans settled in farm villages, it caused food surpluses that created a large population boom, which resulted in the creation of massive cities. Early settlements like Jericho and Çatalhüyük had large populations over one thousand people. Settlements grew into civilizations like the Babylonians, Sumerians, and the Assyrians. With cities having large populations, people within these cities developed a centralized government that allowed stability. Society in the cities were hierarchical with men with great prestige were on top and lowly farmers were placed at the bottom.
The rise of cities was a main feature of the creation of civilizations.

The world's first civilizations started in major rivers in Mesopotamia, on the Tigris-Euphrates valley in the Middle East, in the Nile River in Egypt, and other regions. A council of elders often ruled civilizations and more powerful governments arose that oversees large-scale projects that benefited the people. Centralized governments coordinate amounts of food that fed its citizens and projects that regulate flood control that channel water that is needed to water crops and prevent flooding. Civilizations relied on officials to help the government collect taxes as governing citizens by issuing laws, and organizing systems of defense in times of

attack.
Within civilizations beliefs developed. Most ancient people were polytheistic meaning they believe in numerous gods and goddess. Egyptians, Sumerians, Babylonians, Assyrians, and other groups believe in an afterlife and believed in mythologies that explain why gods are created or how and why disasters happen. People built temples to honor gods. But few people like the Israelites were monotheistic meaning they believe in one god. Few people in polytheistic societies like Akhenaton try to reform the religion by placing only one god to worship but failed. Religions also affected rulers like Pharaohs are often considered gods or representatives of god.
Earliest civilizations developed forms of writing.

The earliest writing systems were pictographs that varied within appearance, structure, and meanings. Some of the earliest writing systems were used in temples, where scribes recorded amounts of grain collected, as well accurate information about seasons and rituals used in practice. As time progress, the system of writing became more sophisticate within other civilizations developing more letters in their writing systems. The Egyptians developed hieroglyphics, and other writing systems. The Sumerians developed a writing system called cuneiform that was later adapted by the Assyrians and Babylonians. Ancient people developed system of mathematics, astronomy, and calendars that regulate time and know when to harvest crops. With ancient people having the ability to write, they created great feats of literature like the famous narrative poem The Epic of Gilgamesh. Ancient people like the Babylonians also developed architecture with amazing feats like ziggurats, and famous landmarks like The Hanging Gardens of

Babylon.
As farming villages grew into mighty cities, it created city-states. Ancient rulers gained power through their armies that conquered territories beyond the borders of the city walls. Rulers, nobles, and other people with authority control land outside the capital city and peasants were forced to give some of their crops and their lands. Rival leaders battled against each for power creating empires that rise and fall. Powerful empires like the Babylonian Empire, Assyrian Empire, and Persian Empire had vast lands. But as time when on, wars and revolts and weaken an empire, for example Sargon invaded and conquered neighboring city-states in Sumer and when he died invaders swept in and conquered regions of his empire. After Solomon died, some of the Israelites revolted after being heavily taxed and forced the population into forced labor, ending the era of a unified nation under one ruler, and creating the kingdoms of Judah and Israel. But, Babylonians and Assyrians conquered both of them.
In conclusion, civilizations rise and fall. Plato said, “Necessity is the mother of invention”. Many of the innovations humans created were based on the needs for them to survive with irrigation systems that channel water that provide water to crops and prevent flooding as well developing astronomy and a calendar. Since ancient civilizations fell, they impact human history that still effects us today.