Ap World History Research Paper

8000 BCE to 600 BCE was a very important time in history. This period of only 7,400 years held many great advances in technology, social interactions, government, and even economics. From the development of agriculture to the caste system of the Aryans, this era in time was one of great growth, development, and change in the earliest civilizations of our history.
The beginning of all civilizations started with the migration of humans out of Africa. The hunters and gatherers inhabited almost every region of the world less than 15,000 years ago. The groups traveled around as nomads for hundreds of years. During that time, they developed tools such as axes, knives, and needles. Fire was also utilized as a tool. Spoken language developed during
this period in time as well. Though the nomadic groups lived for thousands of years off of simply hunting and gathering, the Neolithic Revolution and the discovery of agriculture changed how they lived forever. The breakthrough process of farming led to the settlement of these nomadic groups and the formation of civilizations. Job specialization, definition of social classes, gender roles and the trading of goods—especially metals such as copper and bronze—were all advancements made in civilizations as a result of the development of agriculture. Some geographic areas were not sustainable for farming, thus pastoral nomadism developed. Cities with marketplaces and organized governments followed shortly after the development of the civilizations. Such cities were usually located on riverbanks due to the availability of fertile soil.
Mesopotamia, an early farming community, was located on the Fertile Crescent of Asia.
Irrigation along the Fertile Crescent allowed for mass food production, and therefore, sustainability of a larger population than previous civilizations could hold. The population was so large, in fact, that it began to develop city-states. A city-state is a free governed city that shares the agriculture of the adjoining land. The city-states all had similar cultures, yet each one had a different god or goddess that guarded them. Along with the large population of Mesopotamia came a complex social order of the citizens. At the top of the social class were kings and queens; at the bottom, slaves. Egypt was another civilization which much like Mesopotamia, was able to thrive due to the fertile soil of a river bank. The Nile River provided Egypt with the soils it needed to develop irrigation systems and build villages. Pharaohs were in charge of the Egyptian villages, and were at the top of the social class. Elaborate pyramids were built as tombs for the pharaohs, due to the religious beliefs of an afterlife. The pyramids were home to many high level paintings and sculptures of the gods and nature at that time, as well as
hieroglyphics.
Unlike the history of Egypt or Mesopotamia, the history of the Indus River Valley is very unclear, due to the mystery of their written language, made up of over 400 symbols.
Urbanized cities with gridded walls, temples, marketplaces, broad streets, and even separated areas of social classes have been found. The Aryan peoples inhabited Indus around 1700 BCE, but left little trace of their existence in the valley. What is known about the Aryans is from Vedas, or a collection of sacred hymns, songs, and poems. Social status was based on your Varna, which was a part of the Aryan caste system. Indus had trading connections with Mesopotamia and Persia, which held much potential for the city. Even with the potential from trade, Indus collapsed by 1500
BCE.
The Yellow River or Huang He was the first river valley civilization to develop in China. The valley was ruled by the Shang Dynasty from 1766 to 1122 BCE. An important achievement from the dynasty was the development of Chinese pictograph characters. Oracle bones are used to prove the existence of the Shang Dynasty, containing predictions about the future written in the bones. The ruling of the Zhou Dynasty followed the end of the Shang Dynasty. The Zhou lasted longer than the Shang, and also had a greater impact on Chinese culture. The Mandate of Heaven and the veneration of ancestors were two large themes that were practiced during the ruling of the Zhou Dynasty. The Mandate of Heaven was a concept that told the people there was a direct connection between rulers and gods. Floods, earthquakes, and other disastrous happenings were thought of as signs from the gods that the end of a dynasty was near. Though the Zhou Dynasty was very structured, it eventually lost its power around 771 BCE.
In the river banks of the Gulf of Mexico, the Olmecs settled in around 1500 BCE. Their most important settlements were San Lorenzo and La Venta. San Lorenzo was the center for all things religious, political, or economical. Social class of the citizens in the settlements could usually be determined based off of the elaborateness of their clothing. The more elaborate, the higher they stood on the social ladder. During their time in the Gulf, the Olmecs built Colossal Heads, but how they achieved this is unknown. How the fall of the Olmecs occurred is unknown due to the abandonment of their ceremonial centers. Around the same time as the Olmecs were settling in the Gulf, a religious cult called the Chavin was gaining influence in South America. Both the civilizations of the Olmecs and the Chavins had influences on the empires and civilizations that came later on in the Americas.