Civilizations were formed after people invented fire and farming. A civilization is made up of organized cities with government, religion, art, learning, and specialized jobs.
Read about the 5 items ALL civilizations had in common:
Every civilization had a form of government. The leader was in charge of making laws and rules to keep order and keep things organized. As cities grew and there were more people, this job became more difficult. They were usually also in charge of organization and training an army for protection against outside invaders. They had a lot of people they relied on to help them.
Religion was important in all early civilizations. Religion is a personal belief people have about a higher power. Most ancient people believed in many gods & goddesses. They usually had a temple or religious building somewhere in their city or town. Prayer and ritual were a part of their everyday lives. Many believed in an after-life and made sacrifices to their gods to keep them happy.
People were smart. Early civilizations came up with many inventions. For example, they learned to plant their crops during the right time by making a calendar. They watered their crops using irrigation systems they made from nature. Most developed a written language. It may have only been symbols or pictures to represent words, but it was still important. Their writings were used to record important information as well as prayer and songs. Many ancient buildings prove how detailed their planning was. Most ancient people had schools to send their children to. They used technology to make their lives easier which basically means the skills and tools they came up with on their own.
Making a living in ancient times was just as important as today. Most people in ancient times were farmers. Farming was difficult. It was hard to feed so many people without modern equipment, so they worked long & tiring hours. They had to build irrigation systems to keep their crops watered. Others worked at different jobs needed in the city; such as craftsmen, builders, scribes, clothing makers, etc. These were all specialized work because they learned a specific or special skill. They would then trade with each other for the items they wanted or needed. Taxes were usually paid to the king or queen. The tax was sometimes called "tribute" and was in the form of crops or the item a person made.
Pretty things have also been found by archaeologists. Examples of art found in ancient times were statues, jewelry, pottery, paintings, and carvings. Even though they lived in simpler times, people still liked to have pretty things.