Different Aspects Of World's First Civilizations

HIS 1510
9-19-13 Test 1 Essay Over 5,000 years ago, the world’s first civilizations were born, each with their own unique set of features and developments. Some aspects of these civilizations were similar due to cultural diffusion and the migration of people across Europe, Africa and Asia. Other aspects were unique to certain civilizations based on geography and resources. Though these early civilizations all differed, they all played an important role in the development of the modern world. The earliest known civilization was located in the fertile land between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers and was known as Mesopotamia. Its location made it easy for farming due to the nearby rivers and the population grew steadily. As the population grew, the civilization created a monarchial government and social classes were molded based on various aspects of everyday life. Hereditary rulers remained at the top while priests and nobles remained a close second. Commoners were next on the social pyramid and comprised the majority of the population. As the population developed, specialization of labor became an important part of
The Egyptian civilization was built around the Nile River, which provided the river banks with annual floods that brought mineral rich soil. These floods helped the people of Egypt grow crops easily while the surrounding land was becoming a vast and growing desert. Life in Egypt was led by the divine rule of the Pharaoh’s who acted as political and religious figures. As the population grew, specialization of labor as well as trade became an important contributor to the civilizations growth. Trade in Egypt occurred primarily along the river which limited their access to other civilizations. As trade grew, Egyptians created their own form of writing called hieroglyphics and created a form of paper called papyrus to record records and important