Chapter 2: First Civilizations

               After a week of not blogging, I am back with a new topic! In this post, I will discuss Chapter 2: First Civilizations. The emergence of civilization was a global phenomenon, showing up independently in seven major locations scattered around the world. These new civilizations were breakthroughs in a new way of life. They absorbed, overran, and displaced people practicing other ways of living. In simpler terms, the new emerging civilization was better than the previous. If we look at the map of the world posted above, we can see that there were 7 civilizations that emerged independently during the years of 3500-1000 B.C.E. Starting from the West, The Olmec civilization which originated from the Southern part of North America. The Norte Chico Civilization emerged in the Western part of South America. Heading towards Africa, the Nile Valley Civilizations (which is commonly known as the Egyptian Civilization) originates from the Northern part of Africa.  The remaining 4 civilizations can be found in Asia namely, The Mesopotamian, The Oxus, The Indus Valley, and Chinese Civilization which is known as the Shang Dynasty.


To get to know more about the first 7 civilizations, here are a little information!
1.  Mesopotamia 
Mesopotamia was known to be the "cradle" of Middle Eastern Civilization. This civilization gave rise to the World's earliest written language which was used by officials to record goods received by various temples.

2. Nile Valley Civilization
Famous for its pharaohs and pyramids, the Nile River was used as a trading route.

3. Norte Chico 
Had smaller cities compared to the other civilizations and had an extremely rich fishing industry.

4. Indus Valley
Larger area than Mesopotamia, Nile Valley, and Norte Chico. The Indus Valley was rich in agriculture but had no palaces, temples or political hierarchy compared to past civilization.

 5. Chinese Civilization: Shang Dynasty
Had a monarchal form of government. Believed in religious and cultural practices which include artifacts and traditions.

6. Oxus Civilization 
Had residential compounds, artisan workshops, and temples.  The civilization's cultural style influenced that of Iran, India and the Eastern Mediterranean.

7. Olmec Civilization 
The last civilization to emerge, the Olmec Civilization was based on the agricultural economy of maize, beans, and squash.

If we look deeper into the roots of these seven civilizations, we may find a commonality. Almost all was a primary source for agriculture. Because of this, civilizations emerged to become urban to cater to more advanced goals. Architecture arose and became a topic of discussion, this caused the Urban Revolution. The Urban Revolution brought to light the production of culture, including art, architecture, literature, ritual, and ceremony. These served as more abstract ways of developing civilization.

If we look back in history, we may see that inequality is a predominant issue being discussed. Inequality plays a major role in the emergence of different historical movements and events. But can you believe that Inequality has been ongoing ever since the start of civilization? There have been Hierarchies of Class ever since the start of Human Civilization. In China, monarchs bathe in luxury and own large amounts of land while the lower class (known as peasants) owned a small portion which can only be granted by either royal or aristocrat landowners. This makes me question, why have there not been any solution to this so-called inequality that we face? It has been prevalent in history and yet, we have not yet overcome it.

The rise of the state brought many new aspects to it. The rise of a state meant new forms of writing and accounting. It also meant new structures and architecture.

Looking back at the first civilizations, they all had their own unique aspects. Each civilization had characteristics that differentiate them from the other and it is primarily based on different factors such as the location and resources. I find it interesting to learn more about the first few civilizations se we may get a glimpse of how many of the things we have today emerged. Also, we get to compare, contrast and look deeper into different cultures.