What are Early Civilizations?
The term civilization refers to a complex human society, which combines together human settlements with certain characteristic cultural and technological developments. This commonly refers to urban settlements. Human civilization began with some agricultural settlements for producing surplus food and allowing people to trade for economic development. It helped people to increase their food production, trade, non-agricultural works, and other social stratification. A huge population gathered and created their settlements, where the geographical location was suitable for them.
Later, administrations and states emerged to control the population of large areas. People practiced certain religions and certain languages for communication. Later, they started having laws and cultural practices for enhancing themselves. This article will explain the introduction of civilization and its geographical location in detail.
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The above image shows the popular monument architecture of Egypt civilization
Introduction Of Civilization- Degrees Of Complexity
Ancient people would choose a place for a civilization based on the availability of food sources. Even nowadays people will relocate to new locations only for the resources. Thousands of years ago, the first civilization began. People created the first civilization for the agricultural produces, social hierarchy, allowing for specialized labour, and the establishment of cities. The identities of each civilization are its monumental architecture, complex religion, writing, and centralized political power.
Historians will usually think civilization is an advanced stage for the progression of human cultural evolution. If society remains different and disconnected from others then, historians or anthropologists have represented the society in terms of ‘civilization’. The civilization shows a wide variety of social structures and levels of complexity.
First Civilizations
The 1st civilization developed from the major river valleys because the floodplains had rich soil and the river provided all the required water for agriculture. Also, the river was used for transportation. The basic civilizations developed urbanization and complexity without the influence of the outside world. Other ancient civilizations either borrowed elements or built on or incorporated them with other civilizations. The early societies arose independently and other ancient civilizations followed them. Historians and archaeologists did various research on different civilizations including the first civilization in the world. The only geographical structure cannot explain the rise of the first civilizations. People who entered the early civilization processed agriculture for thousands of years and developed their own culture and religion.
What Is Common Among Ancient Civilizations?
The centre of all early civilizations has a city. People from the entire civilization will come to cities for life, work and trade. The people from civilization have their own government, religion, and language for facilitating the people, who are living in the particular civilization. The cities were mainly concentrated on religious, political, and social institutions. Later, they were subdivided into small separate communities.
People who belonged to a certain state were kept under a single political structure. Here, the larger communities were connected under a common political system. Because the political structure of civilization plays an important role in rising civilizations. As the political structure of civilization mainly attracts a huge population towards them for labour and resources.
The first civilization in the world was unified by religion with other civilizations. As many people practising the set of beliefs and behaviour, they were kept under the common ground and have mutual trust and respect with each other. Politics and religion created huge connections among people in certain civilizations.
The political leaders and the religious leaders belong to early civilizations that work for the development of civilization. Also, religious leaders always support political leaders. So, both the political and religious organizations joined hands together to create and reinforce social hierarchies. This was provided with the distinction among individual people and between different groups. The political leaders had rights and the ability to decide on entire societies regarding war, administration..etc. The religious leaders in cities took care of society and make communication between people and god.
Artisans of early civilization were provided goods and services. Merchants got engaged with the trade of goods. The lower classes labourers of early civilization were involved to do work for high-class people and they were mainly treated as slaves. All the mentioned classes are involved in the economic production of a city.
People in early civilization started writing and maintaining records for managing complex institutions in a better way. Early Mesopotamia have Cuneiform writings, which helped historians to track their economic exchange. Ancient China civilization has Oracle bone inscriptions, which helped to predict the future and spiritual associations. Perform calculations of South America were kept as records for Quipu—knotted strings. The writings of particular civilizations were only eligible for a particular population.
Writings also helped to adopt and maintain new laws and orders. The Code of Ur-Nammu from Sumer was the first legal code or written collection of laws, which was written from 2100 to 2050 BCE. Around 1760 BCE, the Code of Hammurabi from Babylon was written. All these written laws helped people to have a consistent legal system. Written information also created significant developments in civilization. So, many civilizations maintained consistent and shared records and laws. A literate population also increases the strength of civilization.
Different civilizations have another notable feature, that was monumental architecture. The monumental architectures were mainly created for political or religious purposes and sometimes for the public. The pyramids present in Egypt were constructed to preserve the body of the dead ruler. The Pyramids and ziggurats of Mesopotamia were from American societies and became a platform for temples. Defensive walls and sewer systems were constructed for defense and sanitation.
For the monumental architecture, many other organizations came forward and constructed large structures. Many ancient civilizations had many common features. Agrarian communities of the civilizations took responsibility for providing enough food for all other peoples. Ancient civilization cities also followed the social hierarchies based on gender, wealth, and labour decisions. Some states also developed powerful states and armies and collected taxes from the public for maintaining them.
Knowing complete information about the civilization is very difficult and classifying the civilizations according to it is also impossible. Because, the people belong to the Niger River Valley in West Africa urbanization, agricultural surplus, and some specialization of labour. But they never had strong social hierarchies, political structures, or written language. Each civilization was an expert in different areas.
This article gave you complete information about the early societies and how different civilizations were developed in detail.
FAQs on Early Civilization
1. What does the term 'civilization' mean in the context of early human history?
In early human history, a 'civilization' refers to a complex and organised way of human life. It signifies a stage of social development where people live together in settled communities, typically in urban centres or cities. This includes the development of a structured government, social classes, job specialisation, and shared cultural and technological advancements.
2. When and where did the first civilizations emerge?
The world's first civilizations began to emerge between 4000 and 3000 BCE. The earliest known civilization was Mesopotamia, which developed in the fertile land between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in what is modern-day Iraq. This period marked a significant shift from simple farming villages to complex urban societies.
3. What are the key features that define an early civilization?
Early civilizations are typically identified by a combination of key features that demonstrate their complexity. The most common characteristics include:
- Cities: Large, densely populated settlements that served as administrative and cultural centres.
- Organised Government: A system to manage resources, create laws, and provide leadership.
- Complex Religion: Formal religious beliefs and institutions, often with priests and temples.
- Job Specialisation: A division of labour where people had specific jobs like artisans, scribes, or soldiers.
- Social Classes: A hierarchical social structure based on wealth, occupation, or status.
- Writing Systems: Methods for record-keeping, communication, and preserving history.
- Public Works: Large-scale projects like irrigation systems, walls, and temples organised by the government.
4. Which were the four major river valley civilizations of the ancient world?
The four great early civilizations that grew around major river systems are:
- The Mesopotamian Civilization along the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers.
- The Egyptian Civilization along the Nile River.
- The Indus Valley Civilization (or Harappan Civilization) along the Indus River.
- The Chinese Civilization along the Huang He (Yellow) River.
5. Why was the development of agriculture crucial for the rise of early civilizations?
The development of agriculture was the foundational step for civilization because it allowed humans to produce a surplus of food. This surplus meant that not everyone needed to farm to survive. It led directly to job specialisation, where people could become artisans, priests, or soldiers. A stable food supply also allowed for population growth and the establishment of large, permanent settlements that eventually grew into cities.
6. Why did most early civilizations, like the Egyptian and Harappan, develop in river valleys?
Early civilizations flourished in river valleys for several critical reasons. Rivers provided a consistent source of fresh water for drinking and sanitation. Their predictable annual floods deposited fertile silt, creating ideal conditions for highly productive agriculture. Furthermore, rivers acted as natural highways, facilitating trade, travel, and communication between different settlements, which was essential for economic growth and cultural exchange.
7. How did organised government and religion help in managing early cities?
In early cities, an organised government was essential for maintaining order and managing a large population. Rulers and officials would create laws, collect taxes to fund public projects, and organise labour for building infrastructure like irrigation canals and defensive walls. Religion provided a unifying set of beliefs that fostered social cohesion. Temples often served as the administrative and economic heart of a city, controlling land, storing grain, and reinforcing the authority of the rulers.
8. What was the significance of inventing a writing system for an early civilization?
The invention of writing was a revolutionary development. It allowed early civilizations to move beyond simple verbal communication and create permanent records. Writing was essential for managing trade and economy by tracking goods and transactions. It enabled governments to codify laws, such as the Code of Hammurabi, and keep detailed administrative records. It also allowed for the preservation and transmission of history, literature, and religious texts across generations.
9. What is the main difference between a prehistoric village and an early city like Mohenjo-Daro?
The main difference lies in scale and complexity. A prehistoric village was typically a small community where most inhabitants were farmers. An early city like Mohenjo-Daro, from the Indus Valley Civilization, was a large, well-planned urban centre. It featured advanced infrastructure like grid-patterned streets, sophisticated drainage systems, and large public buildings such as the Great Bath. This indicates a high level of centralised planning and a society with significant job specialisation beyond farming.
