Features of Civilization

Mr. Seymour – Burges HS

Aim: What are the basic features of a civilization?

• Do Now: Copy in notes

• Civilization – A complex highly organized social order

• Cities where the main feature of a civilization. The first cities evolved along

? valleys where fertile land created a food surplus.

• What word is missing here?

Ancient Civilizations (Map it)

What do all of these civilizations have in common?

Label your map

Early CivilizationsLabel your map

Common Features of Civilization• Civilizations have certain characteristics in

common. These include:– Advanced Cities and Architecture – Cities are centers of trade. They generally have

large and diverse populations and advanced forms of architecture (like the Ziggurat in Babylonia)

– Advanced Technology – Technology is defined as any tool, invention, or discovery that allows humans to work faster or more efficiently. These can be as simple as stone tools and farming implements or as advanced as today’s computers.

– Complex Institutions - Including government, religion, and other formal institutions.

– Specialized Workers - People who do one or a few things well. Examples include farmers, potters, basket weavers, stone masons, iron workers, priests, scribes, government workers, etc.

– Systems of Recordkeeping – History doesn’t really begin until the first written records. Everything before it is considered “pre-history.” Keeping a written record of even the simplest things in a society (such as trade) and/or forms of literature, personal recollections, diaries, etc. help historians understand the collective past. It is how we communicate with future generations.

Copy in notebook

CIVILIZATION

Cities

Central government Traditional

economy

Organized religion

Social classes

Art and architecture

Roads, bridges, and other public works

System of writing

Specialized jobs

Organized Governments

• Early cities needed a strong government to administer unity, protection, law, justice and welfare.

• Early rulers had heredity rule. This meant they inherited their status and claimed a right from the gods to rule.

Activity

• How does our government provide the following? Give examples– Unity – Protection – Law – Justice – Welfare

The Pharaoh’s of Egypt

How did the Pharaoh's of Egypt rule?

Ziggurat at the City of UrWhat purpose do you think this structure served?

Complex Institutions (Religion)

• Most ancient people were polytheistic, which means they believed in many gods who controlled the forces of nature and peoples lives.

Can you guess all the religions here? What might they all have in common?

Job Specialization

• City people developed many new jobs with many different skills. Cities needed craftsmen, warriors, government officials, priests and builders.

Social Classes

• In cities people were ranked according to their jobs.

• Priests and nobles (top)

• merchants and artisans (middle)

• Farmers (near the bottom)

• Slaves (at the bottom)

Social Mobility – Being able to move between social classes in one’s lifetime.

Is it easy today to move up the social pyramid?

Art and Architecture

• The art and architecture of a civilization expressed the values and beliefs of the people that create them. Such monuments reassure people of the power of their government and religion

What value is being expressed in the Statue of Liberty?

Public Works

• Keeping cities functioning required public works like irrigation systems, roads, bridges, defensive walls and in some cases plumbing

What would life be like in this city without public

works?

Writing

• Writing was needed for record keeping regarding taxes, trade, written laws and calendars.

• Early writing was made up of pictograms (simple drawings)

How are these writing systems similar?

 

                     

                     

                     

                     

                     

                     

                     

                     

                     

                     

                     

                    

 

 

Summary Assessment

• What purpose does government serve in any organized society?

• Religions around the world have similar beliefs and values. How does religion contribute to an orderly society?

• What different kinds of specialized jobs did civilized people have?

• Who occupied the top, middle and lowest social classes of ancient cities?

• What does art and architecture tell us about a society?• What public works did ancient cities have?• What kind of writing did early people have? What was

record keeping important?

Pompeii: A civilization preserved.

Why are there steps in the street?

Fast Food

Frozen in time