Civilizations need a stable supply of food.

Societies can only thrive with plenty of

food.

Domesticating of animals and agriculture

allowed civilizations to create a stable
food supply.

Workers began to specialize in single

tasks.

Artisans such as woodcarvers, weavers, potters,

and bricklayers produced goods needed by the
community.
Metalwork became particularly important.
Weapons and tools were made first from copper
and later from more durable bronze.
Other people with specialized jobs included
merchants, soldiers, storytellers, or musicians.

Centralized government oversaw

large projects to meet the needs of
the community. They

coordinated food production and storage.

maintained flood control and irrigation
projects.
organized departments, made laws,
collected taxes, and defended the city.

Governments planned, built, and

maintained large-scale projects to
benefit the community.

Dams controlled river flooding.

Bridges and roads made travel easier.
Defensive walls protected against attack.
Granaries stored food.
Irrigation canals watered farmland.

Most ancient people were

polytheisticthey believed in many
gods.
They appealed to the deities believed to
control the forces of nature.
They sought to gain favor with complex
rituals.
They built temples and made sacrifices.
Ceremonies required full-time, trained

Social organization became more

complex. People were ranked
according to their job.
Priests and nobles had top ranks.
Next came a small class of wealthy
merchants
and artisans.
The vast majority were peasant farmers from
surrounding villages.

Skills in these areas expressed the

talents, beliefs, and values of their
creators.
Large palaces and temples were reminders
of a rulers power.
They were often decorated with paintings or
statues of rulers, gods, or goddesses.

All civilizations create new forms of

technology (tools or inventions).\\

These advances prove that a civilization

not only developed, but also provided
contribution to surrounding area and
future generations.

Most civilizations developed some

form
of writing.
Writing began as pictographs, drawings that
resemble the object represented.
As complex writing systems developed,
scribes were trained to read and write.
Scribes supported the government and
economy by keeping important records, such
as harvests and taxes.