Some scholars prefer to define civilizations only as societies with enough economic surpluses to create division of labor and a social hierarchy. The chief difference between civilizations and other societies involves the emergence of formal political organizations, or states. Another trait that makes a society a civilization is when the society can produce political units capable of ruling large regions. More traits are when a merchant and manufacturing class is present, and when almost all societies have sedentary agriculture and food surplus.…
Mesopotamia, “the Land between Rivers,” was one of the greatest and the oldest ancient civilizations of the world. This civilization flourished around 3000 B.C. on the piece of fertile land, now known as Iraq, between the rivers Euphrates and Tigris. Before 1792 B.C., the city-states of ancient Mesopotamia were not united and constantly clashed in turmoil and warfare. In 1792 B.C., King Hammurabi conquered and merged the neighboring city states of ancient Mesopotamia, creating a Babylonian empire and becoming the sixth king of its capitol city, Babylon. During his reign, Hammurabi established law and order and funded irrigation, defense, and religious projects. He personally took care of and governed the administration. In fact, in 1786, he wrote two hundred eighty-two laws governing family, criminal punishment, civil law, ethics, business, prices, trade, and every other aspect of ancient life—this set of laws became known as “the Code of Hammurabi.” Carved upon a black stone eight feet high where everyone could read them, this Code was an improvement from previous lawless dynasties. However, these laws—compared to some other ancient laws such as the Mosaic Law and Roman Justinian Code—were unfair, unjust, and based on the social classes.…
The first Mesopotamians were the Sumerians who had city-states. Sumerian cities were surrounded by a wall and used large supply of mud to their advantage. Many large buildings and structures were made of mud bricks. Sumerian cities had a theocratic government in which many priestly figures had great power. A temple was built to serve the priests and priestesses but soon kings came into play. Kings were the sole rulers of governments. Kings had full authority of armies and people. Farming was big in Mesopotamia and there were many different products of trade. Inventions like the wheel were made to make carrying good easier. Sumerian city-states had different social groups. Nobles were the highest in status then the commoners and then the slaves. Many city-states wanted to take control of others and started war with them. The most famous and successful leaders of these wars was Hammurabi. Hammurabi gained control of many city-states. Hammurabi was a fair leader who gave peace to his empire. After his death however, his empire collapsed due to weak kings and strong invaders.…
Meso-America and South America, when compared to Egypt, have tons of differences and similarities of which both play a very important role in the making of these cultures and societies. These differences and similarities create a form of community that makes everything about the Meso-American, South American, and Egyptian cultures very special.…
Eridu was the first of a series of city-states throughout Mesopotamia and the Fertile Crescent that comprised the first ancient civilization, Sumer. Archeologists have discovered historical evidence suggesting that the Sumerians were the first to develop a reliable writing system, cuneiform. They practiced slavery, observed religions, and, according to Biblical scholars, possibly built the infamous Tower of Babel.…
Mesopotamian society was set up as city-states, where farming villages were connected to an urban are, ruled by a leader living in a palace in the city. This decentralized government is in sharp contrast with the centralized and divine leadership of the Egyptian ruler. The villages in Mesopotamia provided produce, and the urban area provided military protection and specialized goods. There were many city-states in Mesopotamia. The city-states often fought for control of resourses, but they also came together when large man power was needed as in building new irrigation systems. The geography of both Egyptian and Mesopotamian civilization helped to develop the religion, the political and economic environment of two great early civilizations. Mesopotamian civilization was comprised of city-states. Their society was divided into landowners, farmers/artisans/and slaves. With the importance of farming, the role of women diminished, since the men did the hard labor of plowing. Women were still allowed to own land at the time. The writing system in Mesopotamia, cuneiform, was controlled by male scribes. This dominance probably led to a further decline in the role of women in Mesopotamian society. Women were allowed to engage in trade, work outside their homes, and make baskets and clean their homes. Politics was off limits.…
By reading the Code of Hammurabi you’ll soon realize that most laws are related to land and commerce; this reveals the importance of agriculture and trade in Mesopotamian culture. Many laws dealt with landholding such as the establishment of conditions for renting farmland. Mesopotamian agriculture was based on land owners and tenant farmers. Tenant farmers usually paid their annual rent in crops rather than money.…
they wouldn’t be able to know the laws unless they were written, which led the laws of twelve tables (or the twelve tablets) to be promulgated, eventually the lower class or Plebeians were even able to earn a position in government. Another intellectual achievement was there invention aqueducts and many roads. Aqueducts are bridge like stone structures that carrywater from hills to cities.…
Order was maintained by a recognized person of power. This was usually the person who controlled agriculture and/or the military. Early Sumerians were fairly advanced at this point in time. They built large walls around their cities to protect their dwellings. They also built many temples to worship various deities. An irrigation system was developed to help improve and increase food production. Sumerian leaders developed a militaristic society and Sumerians built up a strong hatred towards the military and the leader for it. They were forced to provide food, lodging, and money for the military every time it came to visit. As time progressed, kinks were worked out of the system. The leader ruled from the capitol, Babylon, and had deputies stationed in each city state to maintain order. This way taxes were more predictable and were a more manageable price. Sumerians were eventually replaced by many other empires. Akkadians and Babylonians for example. Sargon, ruler of the Akkadian Empire had a thirst for conquest that brought much hatred from his citizens. Eventually they rebelled against him. However, Hammurabi wrote and implemented the first laws seen in the region of Mesopotamia. He provided the territories he controlled with a code of law compiled of laws from his predecessors and of his own making. He provided the “Law of Retaliation”. In layman's terms: an eye for an eye, a…
The Sumerian civilization also known as Mesopotamia/The Fertile Crescent is located between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers….this is how it gets its name the Fertile Crescent. The climate for this civilization is dry except in the area between the rivers. The river flood at least once a year leaving a thick layer of mud called silt behind. There were draw backs to living hear though flooding was often unpredictable and very dry through the summer months. There were also no natural barriers so if you were a village out in the open you were likely to be attacked. Natural resources were also limited. The solutions to some of these problems were; they built irrigation ditches, put up walls and traded with people around them for resources that they lacked. Mesopotamia’s government structure was a city state. Each city in Mesopotamia had its own government, rulers, and warriors. Each city had its own god also in the center of each city-state was a ziggurat a place where that city-state’s god could be worshipped. Even though the cities all shared common culture they all functioned independently. The different rules often kept the ruling in the family for many generations this also known as a dynasty. The religion aspect of this civilization was polytheistic or believed in many gods. There were 3 branches to the social class priests and royalty were on top followed by wealthy merchants and ordinary workers. Women in this civilization were not allowed to attend school making it so they could not read or write unless you were wealthy. Slaves were used and they were not free. This civilization invented one of the first forms of writing…
The earliest societies, such as Mesopotamia and Ancient Egypt exhibiting indicator traits of civilization developed along the floodplains of great rivers, the Tigris and Euphrates in Iraq, and the Nile in Egypt. People had settled in Mesopotamia by 7000 B.C. and the First Dynasty of Egyptian rulers was founded before 3000 B.C., implying a much earlier period of occupation in the Nile River valley and delta. To protect themselves and channel the forces of nature, people living near the rivers created new technologies and forms of political and social organization. The geographical similarities were that both civilizations resided on banks of major rivers, Tigris & Euphrates, and Nile. Another similarity is that both civilizations developed a writing system. It first appeared in Mesopotamia before 3300 B.C.E. Cuneiform was the name of it, and wedge-shaped symbols represented words or syllables. Hieroglyphics were the Egyptians’ way of writing, and it had been developed by the beginning of the early Dynastic period. Pictorial symbols represented sounds, syllables, or concepts. Literacy was confined to a relatively small group of scribes and administrators in both of these civilizations due to long period of study required to master the systems.…
When we think of civilization, we see that starts to happen with Sargon. Sargon created what we consider to be the first empire. It unified what we call Sumer and Akkad. Summer was a city-state in the south of Fertile Crescent, and Akkad was more to the Northern. The next empire/ civilization is the third Ur dynasty, also called the Neo-Sumerian period because it brought back a lot of the culture of ancient Sumer. The Ur dynasty eventually fell in about 2004 B.C. Then the next empire was Babylonians, it starts of the Assyrian empire occurred about the same time. The influence of Babylonian empire including the Hammurabi’s code and what we consider to be the first written law. Hammurabi unified Mesopotamia again, and there was an extended period of time where it controlled all regions of Mesopotamia. Around the same time, Egypt was facing a threat from the Hittites and fell. This is the time where the city-states were independent and things we chaotic. At the end of millennia, the Assyrian rose to power,…
Ancient civilizations could be very complex or very simple, it depended on who ruled them and controlled them. Shang and Indus were very much alike in how they were built, but they were very different to in how the people in them lived.…
All civilizations have certain characteristics. These include: (1) large population centers; (2) monumental architecture and unique art styles; (3) written language; (4) systems for administering territories; (5) a complex division of labor; and (6) the division of people into social classes.…
All civilizations have certain characteristics. These include: (1) large population centers; (2) monumental architecture and unique art styles; (3) written language; (4) systems for administering territories; (5) a complex division of labor; and (6) the division of people into social classes.…