Today

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Today

• The History of Civilization
• The Agricultural Transition c. 10,000 BCE
• Paleolithic Chauvet (c.40,000 BCE)
• Neolithic Jericho (c.7000 BCE)
• The Urban Revolution c. 3,500 BCE

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What is Civilization?

• When we talk about a civilized society, what
  kind of qualities come to mind?

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Key Points for Today

• 1. Civilization is a historically loaded term
  complex society has fewer cultural
  assumptions
• 2. Complex society refers to form of
  large-scale social organization with surplus
  agriculture that fosters urban settlements
• 3. Complex societies emerge c. 3,500 BCE

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Defining peoples

• Barbarian vs. Civilized
• Ancient societies usually defined these
  categories in terms of culture behavior,
  habits, etc. which could be transcended
• Only very recently did people begin to demarcate
  that difference as innate, untranscendable

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Chauvet Cave
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Chauvet Cave Before Agriculture

• Paleolithic Site (c. 40,000 BCE)
• This is the era of Cro-Magnon peoples, the first
  fully modern human beings

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Layout of Chauvet Cave
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Jericho After Agriculture

• Neolithic Site (c. 7000 BCE)
• Note changes after emergence of agriculture
• Population increase
• Emergence of villages and towns
• Specialization of labor
• Metalworking
• Textile production
• Social distinctions

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Origins of Urban life

• Agriculture transforms human societies starting
  approximately 10,000 BCE
• Populations explode
• 4 million in 10,000 BCE
• 14 million in 3,000 BCE
• Villages and Towns Emerge
• Specialization of Labor
• foundation for emergence of cities

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V. Gordon Childe (d.1957)

• Archaeologist who proposed the 4-stage model of
  social transformation
• Paleolithic
• Neolithic
• Urban
• Industrial

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10 Elements of an Urban Revolution (c. 3500
BCE)

• 1. Population (higher, denser)
• 2. Composition (specialist workers)
• 3. Concentration of econ. surplus by ruler
• 4. Monumental public buildings
• 5. Ruling class
• 6. Writing
• 7. Sciences
• 8. Artistic Expression
• 9. Trade of Raw Materials
• 10. Security