Paper One When Did Civilization Begin
Marwan Antill
History 111
Dr. Richard S. Chew
September 16, 2014
Paper Assignment #1:
The Ancient World – The Beginning of Civilization
Over the past 125 years, scholars have offered many interpretations as to when civilization really began. If you were charged with the responsibility of writing a book on the history of civilization, when would you claim civilization began? In answering the question, compare and contrast how these different social structures and constructs arose in different ways in the Middle East and Europe.
What is implied when we call some civilizations civilized and others uncivilized? The whole concept of a civilization is a continuous and debatable topic which relies on how we define a civilization. Many different elements must come together before a human community develops to the level of sophistication commonly referred to as civilization. This paper will define what a civilization is and discuss how it originated in Mesopotamia about 3200 B.C. The Mesopotamian civilization sparked the formation of other civilizations, many of which can still be found around the Mediterranean, parts of Europe, and across the Atlantic.
To begin with, in order to determine the origin of the first civilization, we must first establish a clear definition for what constitutes a civilization. A civilization was originally defined as the emergence of cities, which are relatively large and permanent human settlements. The first cities formed after the Neolithic period, which lasted roughly between 7000 and 3000 B.C. This however, is a very broad and thus limiting definition. Building off this broad definition, civilizations also need to have a surplus of food for its people, a culture which includes written language and religion, and a form of social structure and government. Mesopotamia is the first to satisfy all these requirements and can thus be seen as the beginning of civilization.
Having a surplus of food allows for the members of the
History 111
Dr. Richard S. Chew
September 16, 2014
Paper Assignment #1:
The Ancient World – The Beginning of Civilization
Over the past 125 years, scholars have offered many interpretations as to when civilization really began. If you were charged with the responsibility of writing a book on the history of civilization, when would you claim civilization began? In answering the question, compare and contrast how these different social structures and constructs arose in different ways in the Middle East and Europe.
What is implied when we call some civilizations civilized and others uncivilized? The whole concept of a civilization is a continuous and debatable topic which relies on how we define a civilization. Many different elements must come together before a human community develops to the level of sophistication commonly referred to as civilization. This paper will define what a civilization is and discuss how it originated in Mesopotamia about 3200 B.C. The Mesopotamian civilization sparked the formation of other civilizations, many of which can still be found around the Mediterranean, parts of Europe, and across the Atlantic.
To begin with, in order to determine the origin of the first civilization, we must first establish a clear definition for what constitutes a civilization. A civilization was originally defined as the emergence of cities, which are relatively large and permanent human settlements. The first cities formed after the Neolithic period, which lasted roughly between 7000 and 3000 B.C. This however, is a very broad and thus limiting definition. Building off this broad definition, civilizations also need to have a surplus of food for its people, a culture which includes written language and religion, and a form of social structure and government. Mesopotamia is the first to satisfy all these requirements and can thus be seen as the beginning of civilization.
Having a surplus of food allows for the members of the