Ap World History Research Paper

8000 BCE to 600 BCE was a very important time in history. This period of only 7,400 years held many great advances in technology, social interactions, government, and even economics. From the development of agriculture to the caste system of the Aryans, this era in time was one of great growth, development, and change in the earliest civilizations of our history.
The beginning of all civilizations started with the migration of humans out of Africa. The hunters and gatherers inhabited almost every region of the world less than 15,000 years ago. The groups traveled around as nomads for hundreds of years. During that time, they developed tools such as axes, knives, and needles. Fire was also utilized as a tool. Spoken language developed during
Irrigation along the Fertile Crescent allowed for mass food production, and therefore, sustainability of a larger population than previous civilizations could hold. The population was so large, in fact, that it began to develop city-states. A city-state is a free governed city that shares the agriculture of the adjoining land. The city-states all had similar cultures, yet each one had a different god or goddess that guarded them. Along with the large population of Mesopotamia came a complex social order of the citizens. At the top of the social class were kings and queens; at the bottom, slaves. Egypt was another civilization which much like Mesopotamia, was able to thrive due to the fertile soil of a river bank. The Nile River provided Egypt with the soils it needed to develop irrigation systems and build villages. Pharaohs were in charge of the Egyptian villages, and were at the top of the social class. Elaborate pyramids were built as tombs for the pharaohs, due to the religious beliefs of an afterlife. The pyramids were home to many high level paintings and sculptures of the gods and nature at that time, as well as
Urbanized cities with gridded walls, temples, marketplaces, broad streets, and even separated areas of social classes have been found. The Aryan peoples inhabited Indus around 1700 BCE, but left little trace of their existence in the valley. What is known about the Aryans is from Vedas, or a collection of sacred hymns, songs, and poems. Social status was based on your Varna, which was a part of the Aryan caste system. Indus had trading connections with Mesopotamia and Persia, which held much potential for the city. Even with the potential from trade, Indus collapsed by 1500