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How did Civilization Start?

Michael Anissimov
Michael Anissimov
Michael Anissimov
Michael Anissimov

"Civilization" is a somewhat vague term that encompasses several interrelated human cultural trends: agriculture characterized by the domestication of plants and animals, making possible cities, and new forms of complex social structure therein. Prior to cities and civilization, humans were largely nomadic, following animal herds, in tribal groups of 100-200 individuals.

Civilization began about 12-10 thousand years ago, around 10-8 thousand BC, when the Pleistocene was ending and the Holocene was beginning. The Wisconsin glaciation, where permanent ice caps covered major portions of Europe, North America, and Asia, was ending, and the global average temperature was climbing to a more tolerable level. The selective planting of seeds was causing human-directed selection on plant species, making possible modern cereals like barley, lentils, and oats. These were highly modified from their wild precursors, with a greater caloric content and pleasant taste.

The first signs of human civilization are found in the Middle East.
The first signs of human civilization are found in the Middle East.

The first signs of human civilization are found in the Middle East and Egypt, most famously the Fertile Crescent, in modern-day Iraq. The first known city, Jericho, is located in the Jordan Rift Valley, in the modern-day West Bank. Evidence of a pottery industry, granaries, the domestication of animals, permanent settlements, and complex social structures with class systems have been found. The stationary nature of such settlements allowed for the accrual of personal possessions and the construction of fortifications for defense, with numerous social consequences that remain with us today.

Goats were among the first animals to be domesticated.
Goats were among the first animals to be domesticated.

There are several reasons why agriculture and civilization first developed in the Fertile Crescent. The area had significant geographical variation, making available many plant species for experimentation. The long dry season, and quick but relatively predictable rainy season contributed to the ease of plant cultivation. After crop yields were good enough that the nomadic lifestyle could be abandoned, true civilization, and all its trappings, was relatively quick to emerge.

Sheep, goats, cows, and pigs were among the first animals to be domesticated. Besides being used directly as sources of meat, milk, and leather, animals were used for their manure, whose high nitrogen content was ideal as a fertilizer.

Michael Anissimov
Michael Anissimov

Michael is a longtime HistoricalIndex contributor who specializes in topics relating to paleontology, physics, biology, astronomy, chemistry, and futurism. In addition to being an avid blogger, Michael is particularly passionate about stem cell research, regenerative medicine, and life extension therapies. He has also worked for the Methuselah Foundation, the Singularity Institute for Artificial Intelligence, and the Lifeboat Foundation.

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Michael Anissimov
Michael Anissimov

Michael is a longtime HistoricalIndex contributor who specializes in topics relating to paleontology, physics, biology, astronomy, chemistry, and futurism. In addition to being an avid blogger, Michael is particularly passionate about stem cell research, regenerative medicine, and life extension therapies. He has also worked for the Methuselah Foundation, the Singularity Institute for Artificial Intelligence, and the Lifeboat Foundation.

Learn more...

Discussion Comments

anon992618

Wrong. Civilizations began in 3,000 BC. Agriculture began in 10,000 BC. The first people were around in 100,000 BC.

anon49482

Cool. but, it is really true.

mendocino

Apparently there were no new animals domesticated in the last 4,000 years.

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    • The first signs of human civilization are found in the Middle East.
      By: TRITOOTH
      The first signs of human civilization are found in the Middle East.
    • Goats were among the first animals to be domesticated.
      By: Gerhard Seybert
      Goats were among the first animals to be domesticated.
    • Pigs were an early domesticated animal.
      By: Anatolii
      Pigs were an early domesticated animal.
    • The development of civilization in the pre-Columbian Americas is linked to the domestication of maize.
      By: atoss
      The development of civilization in the pre-Columbian Americas is linked to the domestication of maize.
    • Egyptian rulers used massive building projects like the Pyramids of Giza to unify their state.
      By: Hartmut Lerch
      Egyptian rulers used massive building projects like the Pyramids of Giza to unify their state.
    • Complex burial practices, including mummification, began to appear once ancient civilizations developed the concept of an afterlife.
      By: Tatty
      Complex burial practices, including mummification, began to appear once ancient civilizations developed the concept of an afterlife.
    • The Nile River provided early Egyptians with both a body of water that flooded predictably and a means to transport goods over long distances.
      By: nemar74
      The Nile River provided early Egyptians with both a body of water that flooded predictably and a means to transport goods over long distances.