1.3 The Development and Interactions of Early Agricultural

Period 1 – Technological and Environmental Transformations, c. 8000 BCE to c. 600 BCE

About 5,000 years ago, urban societies developed, laying the foundations for the first civilizations. The term civilization is normally used to designate large societies with cities and powerful states. While there were many differences between civilizations, they also shared important features. They all produced agricultural surpluses that permitted significant specialization of labor. All civilizations contained cities and generated complex institutions, including political bureaucracies, armies, and religious hierarchies. They also featured clearly stratified social hierarchies and organized long-distance trading relationships. Economic exchanges intensified within and between civilizations, as well as with nomadic pastoralists.

As populations grew, competition for surplus resources, especially food, led to greater social stratification, specialization of labor, increased trade, more complex systems of government and religion, and the development of record keeping. As civilizations expanded, people had to balance their need for more resources with environmental constraints. Finally, the accumulation of wealth in settled communities spurred warfare between communities and/ or with pastoralists; this violence drove the development of new technologies of war and urban defense

The First Cities in History - Ancient History Documentary

Key Concept 1.3.II references religious and aristocratic elites in addition to military support for rulers, and it refers to early states generally, rather than identifying specific states (e.g., Hittites).