EARLY CIVILIZATION AND RISE OF THE STATE EARLY CIVILIZATION AND RISE OF THE STATE

CIVILIZATION – comes from the Latin words “civis” which refers to one who is inhabitants of a city CIVILIZATION – comes from the Latin words “civis” which refers to one who is inhabitants of a city
and “civets” which refers to the urban community in which one dwells. and “civets” which refers to the urban community in which one dwells.

WORLD’S FIRST CITIES (4500-6000 yrs. Ago) WORLD’S FIRST CITIES (4500-6000 yrs. Ago)
1.Mesopotamia (Iraq) 1.Mesopotamia (Iraq)
(Writing:Cuneiform,Short Story:Gilgamesh,Central Monumental Building: Ziggurats, City-State (Writing:Cuneiform,Short Story:Gilgamesh,Central Monumental Building: Ziggurats, City-State
Government ) Government )
2.Egypt’s Nile Valley (3200 BCE) 2.Egypt’s Nile Valley (3200 BCE)
(Writing:Hieroglypics- pictogram and papyrus, Centralized Government) (Writing:Hieroglypics- pictogram and papyrus, Centralized Government)
3.Indus Valley (Pakistan and India) 3.Indus Valley (Pakistan and India)
(Two Major Cities: Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro) (Two Major Cities: Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro)
4.China (5000 yrs. Ago) 4.China (5000 yrs. Ago)
(Shang Dynasty, Oracle Bones, Mythic Stories) (Shang Dynasty, Oracle Bones, Mythic Stories)
5.Peru (4000 yrs. Ago) 5.Peru (4000 yrs. Ago)
6.Mesoamerica (2000 yrs. Ago) 6.Mesoamerica (2000 yrs. Ago)

Basic Characteristics of a City/Civilization Basic Characteristics of a City/Civilization

1.Large Size and Population (Urbanized)
Catalhoyuk – A compact 9,500 year old settlement in south-central Turkey.
- Tightly packed houses which were structurally similar to one another for its more
than 5,000 inhabitants.
- House walls were covered with all sorts of paintings and bas reliefs.
2.Organized Planning by a Central Authority,Technological Intensification and Social Stratification
Mohenjo-daro – An urban center with a population of atleast 20,000 was built on an
artificial mound, safe from flood waters.
– Early engineers created sophisticated plumbing and drainage system.
Almost every house has a private bathroom toilet
– The streets were laid out on a grid pattern.
3.Spiritual Belief and Social Order
Teotihuacan – Translated the solar calendar into unified spatial pattern. The Street of
the Dead- a grand north-south axis running from the Pyramid of the
Moon and bordered by the Pyramid of the Sun and the royal palace
compound- was deliberately oriented to an astronomical marker, east of
true north.
4.Social and Economic Diversity
Teotihuacan – Six levels of society can be recognized by variation in size and quality of
apartment rooms.
– Teotihuacan artisan worked on exotic goods and raw materials imported
from afar, and atleast two neighborhoods housed people with foreign
affiliation.
1.Large Size and Population (Urbanized)
Catalhoyuk – A compact 9,500 year old settlement in south-central Turkey.
- Tightly packed houses which were structurally similar to one another for its more
than 5,000 inhabitants.
- House walls were covered with all sorts of paintings and bas reliefs.
2.Organized Planning by a Central Authority,Technological Intensification and Social Stratification
Mohenjo-daro – An urban center with a population of atleast 20,000 was built on an
artificial mound, safe from flood waters.
– Early engineers created sophisticated plumbing and drainage system.
Almost every house has a private bathroom toilet
– The streets were laid out on a grid pattern.
3.Spiritual Belief and Social Order
Teotihuacan – Translated the solar calendar into unified spatial pattern. The Street of
the Dead- a grand north-south axis running from the Pyramid of the
Moon and bordered by the Pyramid of the Sun and the royal palace
compound- was deliberately oriented to an astronomical marker, east of
true north.
4.Social and Economic Diversity
Teotihuacan – Six levels of society can be recognized by variation in size and quality of
apartment rooms.
– Teotihuacan artisan worked on exotic goods and raw materials imported
from afar, and atleast two neighborhoods housed people with foreign
affiliation.