Page 48 - PowerE-L05-F

Lesson 12

Early Civilizations

The three great civilizations, Mesopotamia,
Egypt and Indus, developed in parts of Asia and

North Africa in the late fourth and third millennia BC.
These were supported by the three large alluvial sys-
tems of the Tigris-Euphrates, the Nile and the Indus.

In almost all major valleys, there were urban devel-
opments. There were settlement mounds known as
tepees. Many that have been explored are known to
have been occupied in the same period. However,
these communities did not form part of a unified economic system. Of these three great

civilizations, the Mesopotamian (Sumerians) occurred more than 4,000 years ago is the
earliest in origin according to archaeologists and written documents. Vestiges of Sumerian
culture are still recognized in today’s traditions. Specifically, these traits include the decimal

in math. The Egyptian and the Indus civilization were believed to be derivatives of the Sum-
erians. These two civilizations were established through Sumerian colonization. Similarities
in these three civilizations are all on the conceptual levels but the actual nature of the irriga-
tion works, the form of the cities and their buildings and the nature of the written script are
completely different in all three areas. In Mesopotamia are 15-20 large cities surrounded by

smaller towns and hamlets. The Indus had two enormous metropolises and a host of smaller
settlements. No early cities were known in Egypt. The earliest writing in all three areas was
pictographic, but actual symbols representing a particular object were completely different.

The art styles were also very dissimilar. These striking differences indicate that the develop-
ments of civilizations in the three alluvial systems are independent processes and that the
contacts between the three are all peripheral.

Comprehension

1. In which continents did the earliest civilizations on earth take place?

2. Name some of the differences in these three civilizations.

Questions

1. According to archeology, were there early cities in Egypt?
2. Was irrigation present during the early civilizations?

Vocabulary & Expressions

Civilization - a society that has high level of way of life and social organization
Alluvial - consisting of or formed by residue deposited by flowing water
Archeology - the scientific study of ancient cultures through the examination of material remains
Hamlet - a small village or group of housesPeripheral - not so relevant

46