The Dawn of Civilization

As humans became more comfortable with running and protecting their small settlements, they could focus on their crops, domesticated animals, and other pursuits. Tools were improved upon and they continued to make farming easier, or at least more efficient. By studying weather and the patterns of the sun, moon, and stars, the first calendars arose to help keep track of planting and harvest times. Animals were trained to help with farming work. Humans were suddenly able to grow more crops than necessary to support just themselves and their immediate families.

Villages began to emerge as multiple families came together to share resources and labor. These villages were often positioned near valuable natural resources, like bodies of water. In Africa, the Nile River Valley provided rich soil for growing crops like wheat and barley. In China, the banks of the Yellow River saw the growth of millet and the first wild rice was domesticated in the Chang Jiang River delta. These small communities were generally “run” by elders or warriors, who were usually male. Some villages might have a chief leader who made decisions above everyone else. As villages continued to grow or attract new members, there was a need to expand food production. This required systems of irrigation, or ways to control the amount of water at certain places at certain times. Suddenly, communities had surpluses of food! As a result, some members of the villages began to develop new skills, like creating pottery and textiles.

These new goods, along with extra crops and better tools, stimulated the need or desire for trade with nearby people. Trade allowed for the introduction of new crops, materials, and other goods, as well as the accumulation of wealth by communities and individuals. Innovations like the wheel and sailing would allow for trade with more distant groups. Cities, or political, religious, and economic centers, developed as villages grew, crop production increased, and people saw the need for a more organized government, cities could collect taxes and undertake larger public work projects, like building and maintaining irrigation systems and roads. Projects like these increase the quality of life for citizens and attract traders from other areas.

A byproduct of the rise of cities was the growing differences between groups of people. Large public projects would require labor, sometimes skilled, often not. These laborers were under the authority of the local government workers. The temple workers and priests were assumed to be holier than the common people, which often meant they had more power and influence. With the introduction of currency, wealth was accumulated unequally, with merchants and traders often evolving into wealthy elites. Some cities would slowly be absorbed or conquered by others, leading to the first kingdoms and empires. Other cites, especially in the Middle East and Europe, would become independent, self-governing nations. These are what we call city-states. Today, there exist several small countries, including Monaco, Singapore, and Vatican City