Ms. Dawson
28 August 2011
World History
What do we mean when we use the term Civilization? Civilizations are complex societies with cities, government, art, architecture, religion, class divisions and writing systems. To uphold an effective civilization, cultural diffusion, farming and writing with a spoken language are essential. Cultural diffusion is a key element to maintaining a complex civilization. When people from different civilizations came into contact with one another, they learned from one another. They would learn how other people from different societies did things and all their different and new inventions. They would bring this new understanding back to their cities and villages, which usually brought them back security and prosperity for the future. The transition from hunting and gathering to farming was a huge factor in a well-held civilization. This change was known as the Neolithic Age. Farming at this time gave people an appointed community and an abundance of food. Farmers were able to gather into a heap more occupations than their hunter and gatherer ancestors. This is because they stayed in one place and didn’t have to go and search for a food source. Farmers had to develop new tools to farm effectively. They had to keep track of their crops and also protect them. Mesopotamians commerced and operated in large cities and towns. They depended on irrigation farming and trade was a big way with archaeology. The rule for the Mesopotamians was patriarchy. Women usually ruled over men in this ancient society. Hebrews played a small role in trade between the Nile and the Mediterranean. Their economy was pastoral. Ancient civilizations helped discover a lot of what the world is today. Cultural diffusion, the transition from hunting and gathering to farming and ancient society made a huge impact from ancient civilizations to today’s