Historians think the first civilization arose about 3300 BCE in Sumer, which is in southern Mesopotamia. So, you might say that one of the traits of civilization is a larger population. special attention is paid to the first urbanization of ancient civilizations, particularly in ancient Greece and Rome (Vuorinen 2007). The words city, and civilization both share a common Latin root that is related to the idea of citizen. 1.1 Human evolution 1.2 Early humans 1.3 Rise of agriculture 2 Ancient history (3000 BCE to 500 CE). These changes led to an advanced type of culture called civilization. 1 Prehistory (3.3 million years ago to 3000 BCE). The ancient Sumerians settled in the land. It wasn't long before city leaders had to come up with ways to organize workers to solve civic problems, such as building public structures and cleaning irrigation canals.Īs the cities became more populated, more types of specialized workers were needed and society and culture became more complex. Historians think the first civilization arose about 3300 BCE in Sumer, which is in southern Mesopotamia. Because of this, it can be said that surpluses are the first step on the way to civilization. From your last lesson, you'll remember that cities are an important trait of civilization. Soon, the villages grew larger and became cities. As this happened, more people decided to settle into these communities. First, only in broad, comparative treatments such as this one are generalizations about Chinese culture permitted. In this way, surpluses encouraged the growth of populations and increased trade. And, there is enough record to know about its people and their belief that a society only worked if everyone played their. It was therefore the plants, animals, and farm-related technologies of the Fertile Crescent and China that had the greatest impact on future civilizations. In addition to farmers and craftsmen, specialized workers in complex villages included holy people and, eventually, government. As life in villages became more complex, the types of specialized jobs grew. Specialized workers also created surpluses and might trade their goods for food or other services. Early civilization definition: A civilization is a human society with its own social organization and culture.

As a consequence, some people began specializing in other types of work such as making pottery or weaving cloth.

Courtesy of Richard Morlan, Canadian Museum of Civilization. As farmers began to produce more surpluses, villages did not need as many farmers to raise food. Archaeologists call these early North Americans Palaeoindians, which means ancient Indians.

First civilization