Emergence of Civilization:
– Natufian culture in the Levant became sedentary around 12,000 BC.
– Water availability led to stable food supply and permanent villages.
– Neolithic era in Western Asia began around 10,000 BC.
– First cities with thousands of inhabitants emerged in the Neolithic.
– Development of writing marked the transition to historic times.
– Sociocultural developments occurred at different timeframes.
– Interaction between sedentary and nomadic communities was significant.
Cradles of Civilization:
– Civilization likely arose independently in various locations.
– Six areas identified where civilization emerged independently: Fertile Crescent, Nile Valley, Indo-Gangetic Plain, North China Plain, Andean Coast, and Mesoamerican Gulf Coast.
– Fertile Crescent was one of the oldest areas where agriculture was practiced.
– Jericho in Palestine is considered one of the world’s first towns.
– Mesopotamia, encompassing modern Iraq, was a region with fertile soil.
– Ubaid period marked the start of urbanization in Mesopotamia.
Mesopotamian Civilization:
– Tigris and Euphrates rivers provided water for irrigation.
– Ubaid period (c. 6500 to 3800 BC) is the earliest known period in Mesopotamia.
– Uruk period saw the emergence of urban life and cuneiform script.
– Sumerian civilization formed during the Uruk period.
– Sumerian King List used for legitimizing rulers.
– Eannatum of Lagash established the first verifiable empire in 2500 BC.
Egyptian Civilization:
– Geological changes around 8000 BC led to Nile settlement.
– Fayum A culture in Egypt from around 5500 BC.
– Unification of Upper and Lower Egypt occurred around 3150 BC.
– Use of mud brick and architectural advancements emerged.
– Giza pyramids and Great Sphinx were constructed during the Old Kingdom.
– Central administration led to increased agricultural productivity.
Harappan Civilization:
– Indus Valley Civilization began around 3300 BC.
– Advanced urban planning and sanitation systems were developed.
– Urban centers like Harappa, Mohenjo-Daro, and Lothal emerged.
– Harappans achieved great accuracy in measuring length, mass, and time.
– System of uniform weights and measures was developed.
– Trade networks linked the civilization with distant sources of raw materials.
A cradle of civilization is a location and a culture where civilization was developed independent of other civilizations in other locations. The formation of urban settlements (cities) is the primary characteristic of a society that can be characterized as "civilized". Other characteristics of civilization include a sedentary non-nomadic population, monumental architecture, the existence of social classes and inequality, and the creation of a writing system for communication. The transition from simpler societies to the complex society of a civilization is gradual.
Scholars generally acknowledge six cradles of civilization. Mesopotamia, Ancient Egypt, Ancient India, and China are believed to be the earliest in Afro-Eurasia (previously called the Old World), while the Caral-Supe civilization of coastal Peru and the Olmec civilization of Mexico are believed to be the earliest in Americas - previously known in Eurocentric Western literature as the New World. All of the cradles of civilization depended upon agriculture for sustenance (except possibly Caral-Supe which may have depended initially on marine resources). All depended upon farmers producing an agricultural surplus to support the centralized government, political leaders, priests, and public works of the urban centers of the early civilizations.
Less formally, the term "cradle of civilization" is often used to refer to other historic ancient civilizations, such as Greece or Rome, which have both been called the "cradle of Western civilization".
