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The definition of Homo sapiens is “consciously thinking human”. They came after Homo Erectus were extinct. Homo sapiens possessed a remarkable intelligence that allowed them to survive for long period of time. Modern people are distinguished as Homo sapiens and our brains have evolved over time.
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It extended over much of present day Palestine, Israel, Jordan, and Lebanon. They were pre-agricultural culture and practiced the collection of barely and wheat. They also had high population compare to other Neolithic communities.
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It was the longest portion of time period in our history and also does not have solid written evidence. In this period, people hunted and gathered food for their survival and the first hominids evolved. Since men and women both worked collaboratively to survive, there were no social distinction or specialized jobs.
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People in Paleolithic era used this method for their survival. They relied on hunting wild animals, fishing, and gathering vegetables and fruits. Before the settlement, all the early people hunted and gathered and migrated often since they had to follow their prey.
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After Neolithic Revolution, early human beings also domesticated plants and animals along with farming. Domestication of plants allowed people to harvest vast amount of crops which led to population increase. Also, people used domesticated animals in various ways.
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Agrarian revolution can also be referred as Neolithic revolution. It was one of the most significant changes in human history. People started agriculture and settled in one place instead of roaming around to hunt and gather. This led to the domestication of animals and plants.
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People of Sudan domesticated cattle and became nomadic herders. They also collected grains for their food. However, after 7500 BCE, they permanently settled and began agriculture. They had their own special way of death ritual that they did when their king died.
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It is one of the earliest known neolithic villages, near to the present- day Israel. They had huge population compared to other groups and farmed wheat and barley. It also engaged in trades such as salt and volcanic glass.
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It is the branch of agriculture concerned with raising livestock. People in Neolithic age used these domestic animals for their benefits, such as using them for farming. Pastoralism allowed people who lived in arid land to be productive.
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It is a method of agriculture by farming the same land. People who did sedentary farming controlled forest fires to produce arable land for farming. This had huge influence on people since they could used non-fertile land for agriculture.
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Sumer civilization was located in the southern half of Mesopotamia. Sumerians had elaborate irrigation system, which allowed them to support rapidly increasing human population. They spoke tongues in the Semitic family along with Aramaic, Hebrew and Phoenician. Later on, Sumer was consisted of city states which dominated the public affair of Mesopotamia.
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In early China, there were Yangshao society and Xia dynasty. Yangshao society was located in the middle region of Yellow River valley, and flourished because of their fertile lands.
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Some craftsmen invented a wheel to improve their transportation. The Sumer craftsmen created wheeled cart and wagon which allowed them to carry loads of goods. Also, the chariot was invented as the transportation for the war. The plow was invented to improve agriculture. By inventing a plow, people were able to farm in a fertile land. Lastly, bronze was created and was used in various ways. It was used for weapons, agriculture tools, and also as jewelries.
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Cuneiform is one of the earliest form of writing and was used in Mesopotamia. In a cuneiform, there are symbols and pictographs to show their writing. Cuneiform allowed scholars to know more about the history of Mesopotamia.
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It is a distinctive stepped pyramids which was used as temples and altars. In Urak, which is a city state of Sumer, ziggurats were used to honor the fertility goddess Inanna. It was the heart of all the great Mesopotamian cities.
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There were many city states that consisted Sumer civilization. The main cities were Eridu, Ur, Uruk, Lagash, Nippur, and Kish. These city states maintained order and ensured inhabitants by domination of public affairs in Mesopotamia. They also extended their authority to neighboring territories and over saw affairs in the surrounding agricultural regions.
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Pharaohs were the kings and queens of ancient Egypt. They were the people who had absolute power in a country and was both political and religious leader. There were famous pharaohs such as Cleopatra. Interestingly, unlike any other civilizations, there were two female pharaohs in ancient Egypt.
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Around 3100 BCE, a person named Menes unified the ancient Egypt. Menes was not from a royal family. He was a minor official who rose to power. Menes found the city of Memphis, which is next to Cairo.
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Harappa and Mohenjo- Daro were two largest cities in Harappan society. They both had city walls, and fortified citadel with forms of grain. From this, we can infer that these two cities were the center of economic and political of Harappan society.
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Phoenicians lived in the Mediterranean area near water. Since they lived near water, there sailing skills were well developed. Phoenicians were famous for their trading skills. Instead of developing their military, Phoenicians concentrated on trades and became prosperous. Also, they were the first people to create the alphabet that we are using right now.
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The Olmec were located in the Mesoamerica and was also called as "Rubber people" since it is the definition of Olmec. There were lots of complex temples, pyramids, altars and stone sculptures for religious ceremony.The most famous thing in the Olmec society is colossal human heads. It is said that it is the sculpture of the rulers.
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Indus valley civilization is one of the most well-known civilizations. People who lived around the Indus valley used its water for their agriculture and was able to prosper. People domesticated wheat and barley. They also domesticated animals such as cattle, sheep, and goats. Harappan society was their main city.
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He was the creator of empire in Mesopotamia. He began his career as the minister to the king of Kish. As he successfully coupe against his own king, and became the king himself.
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There are not much evidence of Xia dynasty and some consider this dynasty to be a part of myth. The Xia dynasty made one of the first efforts to organize public life in China on a large scale. They established a precedent for hereditary monarchical rule. It is known that Yu, the a=sage king, was the founder of the dynasty.
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The Epic of Gilgamesh is an epic poem from Mesopotamia. This poem talks about the hero, Gilgamesh's adventure. The adventure is about killing an evil monsters with his friend, Enkindu.
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Mayans were similar to Olmec. They were very religious like Olmec and had various temples and pyramids. There were two prominent cities which were Kaminaljuyu and Teotihuacan. These two cities were the main center of political issues. Also, Mayans are famous for human sacrifice. They believed that human blood sacrifice will make the gods to rain. Popol Vuh is a Mayan creation myth and it is said that gods made Mayans with maize and water.
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Hammurabi code of law is famous for its severe punishments on violators. The code relies on the principle of lex talionis, which means "Law of retaliation". Just like this, the punishment is really harsh just for minor crime.
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There are many evidence about Shang dynasty since there are many written records as well as the materials.The bronze metallurgy allowed Shang dynasty to displace Xia dynasty. Shang dynasty continued their ruling by not spreading the information about bronze metallurgy. The early capital of Shang was Ao and the next was Yin.
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Dravidians were people who lived in the southern part of India. They often clashed with Indo- Europeans but also traded a lot with them. After 1500 BCE, Dravidian and Indo- European people intermarried and influenced Indian society to the present day.
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The early Aryans heavily depended on pastoral economy instead of agriculture. They valued horses and herds of cattle. Horses were valuable since it was used as the way of transportation. Aryans ate both dairy products and meat for their meal.
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The most important thing that Zhou dynasty had was the mandate of heaven. It basically talks about how the ruler is the link between heaven and earth. It is also said that the leader can be replaced if they fail their duties. The Zhou rulers relied on a decentralized administration since the land they had to control was so big. However, at the end, Zhou dynasty declined because they couldn't control the production of iron becoming public.
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Caste system is distinguishing people in classes. There are 5 classes which are brahmins, kshatriyas, vaishyas, shudras, and untouchable. Brahmins are considered as the noble and rich people while untouchables are considered as worthless.
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After the decline of Assyrian empire, the Babylonian Empire became the strongest empire in the ancient civilizations. Its capital was Babylon and lots of trades were occurred there. Babylonian empire dominated Mesopotamia until 1600 BCE.
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The early societies of Andean occupied long, narrow territories between the Andes Mountains and the Pacific Ocean. The Chavin cult was a complex city in a society. During this time, the craftsmen and metallurgy expanded. Also, Mochica Sate is in the valley of the mocha River and dominated the coasts and valeys of north Peru.
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Catal Huyuk is considered as the best settlement during Neolithic age. It featured job specializations such as making crafts. Cities also had professional priest to maintain the tradition and rituals. Catal Hyuk was hard to get invaded since they did not have any streets or ground-level doors.
