Origin of Civilization
Cole Trigger
Dr. Owen
Anthropology 341
8 May 2013
Testing a Theory of the Origin of Civilization
Mark Twain once wrote, “Civilization is the limitless multiplication of unnecessary necessities.” Today, we live in a very complex civilization; however, this was not always the case. Before televisions, cars, houses, and farming, people lived off of the land without intentionally altering it. The people of the time that Mark Twain is referring to here, were called foragers. Foraging was a successful way of life. So what changed? Complex societies and civilizations sprouted and paved a whole new way of life for generations to come. Many archaeologists, have different theories of the origins of civilizations and many of them can be tested. Not only is it important for an archaeologist to test these theories, but it is also important to understand the definition of a civilization in the first place. Along with the many origin theories, there are many definitions that can be applied based on one’s point of view. In the case of the Middle to Late Uruk Period of Mesopotamia, the “long list” definition by Charles Redman suffices (Owen 2013b: 1). The origin of this civilization fits the “social surplus” theory by V. Gordon Childe with a strong nine out of ten (Owen 2013a: 1). One of the first parts to Childe’s theory is the improvement to agriculture (Owen 2013a: 1). What made Mesopotamia such a unique culture in human history was their ability to use irrigation for their subsistent crops. The area that Mesopotamia is located at is not the best for farming, as it is a very dry desert-like area. For these people to be a successful new innovations to agriculture needed to take place. Although the land is desert-like Ancient Mesopotamia was surrounded by two major rivers. These rivers being the Tigris and the Euphrates. The people needed to find a way to use this water and they did so through innovations like irrigation canals (Wenke 2007: 327). This was taking
Dr. Owen
Anthropology 341
8 May 2013
Testing a Theory of the Origin of Civilization
Mark Twain once wrote, “Civilization is the limitless multiplication of unnecessary necessities.” Today, we live in a very complex civilization; however, this was not always the case. Before televisions, cars, houses, and farming, people lived off of the land without intentionally altering it. The people of the time that Mark Twain is referring to here, were called foragers. Foraging was a successful way of life. So what changed? Complex societies and civilizations sprouted and paved a whole new way of life for generations to come. Many archaeologists, have different theories of the origins of civilizations and many of them can be tested. Not only is it important for an archaeologist to test these theories, but it is also important to understand the definition of a civilization in the first place. Along with the many origin theories, there are many definitions that can be applied based on one’s point of view. In the case of the Middle to Late Uruk Period of Mesopotamia, the “long list” definition by Charles Redman suffices (Owen 2013b: 1). The origin of this civilization fits the “social surplus” theory by V. Gordon Childe with a strong nine out of ten (Owen 2013a: 1). One of the first parts to Childe’s theory is the improvement to agriculture (Owen 2013a: 1). What made Mesopotamia such a unique culture in human history was their ability to use irrigation for their subsistent crops. The area that Mesopotamia is located at is not the best for farming, as it is a very dry desert-like area. For these people to be a successful new innovations to agriculture needed to take place. Although the land is desert-like Ancient Mesopotamia was surrounded by two major rivers. These rivers being the Tigris and the Euphrates. The people needed to find a way to use this water and they did so through innovations like irrigation canals (Wenke 2007: 327). This was taking
References: Cited Owen, Bruce 2013a Some theories of the origins of civilization - Batch I. Electronic Document, https://moodle.sonoma.edu/A/mod/resource/view.php?id=120277, accessed May 5, 2013. 2013b Some definitions of “civilization” and “complex society”. Electronic Document, https://moodle.sonoma.edu/A/mod/resource/view.php?id=120175, accessed May 5, 2013. 2013c Mesopotamia: ‘Ubaid and Uruk periods. Electronic Document, https://moodle.s onoma.edu/A/mod/resource/view.php?id=120317, accessed May 5, 2013. 2013d Mesopotamia: Late Uruk and Writing. Electronic Document, https://moodle.son oma.edu/A/mod/resource/view.php?id=120339, accessed May 5, 2013. Wenke, Robert J. and Deborah I. Olszewski 2007 Patterns in Prehistory Humankind’s First Three Million Years. Oxford University Press, Oxford.