Chapter 3 First Civilizations

Civilizations are a relatively recent phenomenon in human hustory made possible by the surpluses produced by the Agricultural Revolution. The distinctive features of civilizations are cities with monumental architecture and populations in the tens of thousands, powerful states that could compel obedience, and much greater inequality in economic function, wealth, and social status.

This global phenomenon started with six major civilizations and some smaller manifestations scattered arond the world that deeloped after 3500 BCE. One of the earliest civilizations emerged in Sumer.  They were the first written language.  Indus valley civiliation in Indus and Sarawati river valleys arose between 3000 and 2000BCE. Unlike other civilizations it generated no palaes, temples, elaborate graves, kings or warrior classes.

in around 2200 BCE a First Civilization took shape in China by ruler the "son of heaven". China maintained impressive cultural continuity into modern times. The Olmec produced a first civilization much later 1200BCE on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico. They created the first written language in the amreicas.

Chapter 2 Agriculture Revolution

Agriculture began around 12,000 years ago.  It was called often the Neolithic or Agricultural Revolution, it was speaking of the cultivation of particular plants as well as the taming and breeding of particular animals.The coming of agriculture brought a transformation of human life all across the planet and was the foundation for important resources such as growing populations, settled village,
empires and civilizations, and even writing and literature.

Agriculture is the basis for almost all human developments since.

Agriculture brought about a new relationship between humans and other living things.

It is actively changing what they found in nature rather than just using it, shaping landscapes, and selective breeding of animals.

Agriculture allowed the domestication of nature such as plants and animals that humans came to rely on and soon lost gathering and hunting skills. The agricultureal revolution soincided with the end of the last ice age and the end of ice age coincided with human migration across earth. Global warming started around 16,000 years ago and ice age was over by 11,000 years ago. The warmer, wetter weather allowed more wild plants to grow. Gathering and hunting people had learned ways to manage the natural world which lead to the "broad spectrum diet".  They developedof sickles and baskets along with other tools to make use of wild grain. Soon gathering and hunting peoples started to establish more permanent villages especially in resource rich areas.  The population growth led to a food crisis.  They were depended on the plants and animals that were available in their regions. Only a few hundred plant species and 14 large mammal species were domesticated. Agriculture spread in two ways; by diffusion (gradually spread of techniques and perhaps plants and animals, but much more movement of human population) and colonization or migration of agricutural peoples. With the spread of agriculture came the spread of language and culture. The globalization of agriculture took about 10,000 years. the culture of agriculture lead to much greater populations and changes in world population (from 6 million people to 50 million in 5,000 years).  Farming did not necessarily imporve life for ordinary people and meant that much more hard work was needed.  In early agricultural societies health deteriorated and new diseases from interaction with animals became more common.

Discovering The Global Past Chapter 1

In chapter one of Discovering the Global Past  it discusses the importance of water in early civilizations. Specifically its main question being "How did the need for steady supply of water affect the technological, economic, political and legal development of ancient societies?"
In Mesopotamia, farmers relied on different types of irrigation to keep the land useful.  If irrigation wasnot maintained the land would be a waste. Egypt did not get much rain and it forced many to rely on the Nile River like many did in China with the Yellow River due to the lack of rain.
Because the irrigation system began so long ago, historians relied on the remains of the land to identify how the natives preserved their land. When historians discovered the first civilizations writings they learned the importrance of the irrigations systems based off the evidence of the writings.