Humanities 8

Introduction to Ancient Civilizations

What are civilizations?

How did they develop?

What are their influences?

The civilizations of Rome, Persia, India and China were all very different, but they shared common traits.

According to historians, a civilization is a society that has cities, a written language, specialized jobs, an organized government, technology, and skilled craftspeople.

Not all societies are complex enough to be civilizations. Early hunter-gatherers never settled long enough in one place to build cities or have a government; they had a distinctive culture but not a civilization.

Civilizations first developed as people learned how to increase their food supply. Physical settings can be a real influence on the development of a civilization. Farming freed people from spending all their time looking for food. With more spare time, people began to develop specialized skills. They also were producing surplus goods as well as surplus food, which could be traded. People needed places to meet and trade goods so towns and markets were built. To keep track of business, they developed systems of writing and numbers.

Today, trade still plays a major role in the way civilizations grow and change. Through trade, civilizations exchange ideas, inventions and goods and thereby become acquainted.

Look at the timelines on page 33 of Across the Centuries to see how the four ancient cultures were developing and came into contact.

Read the handout, “Asia: Physical Setting” and answer the following questions:

1. What are the natural boundaries of the area in which Chinese civilization developed?
2. What are China’s three great river systems?
3. What are two conditions that affected its development?
4. Where was the original cradle of Chinese civilization?