The Begginings of Civilization

The most important moment in the history of human civilization happened between 7,000 and 10,000 years ago, with transition from hunting and gathering to farming. Before that, humans were forced to live in small, scattered, self sufficient groups who lived on the constant move. Transition to farming provided humans with steady supply of food year-round, and if they happened to live in a fertile area they had soon secured food surplus for the first time in human history. Before that, humans were more or less unsecure of when and where their next meal will come from. Food surplus also allowed people to have bigger families which led to global population growth . Scientists estimate that about 10,000 years ago, world’s population was about 5,000,000 people, and by 7,000 years ago, it was already 20,000,000. Farming settlements grew to villages, and then to towns and eventually to cities, food surplus also provided an opportunity which did not previously exist in human history, that is not all the people were involved in food production. Therefore, they had enough time to spend on improving their skills and talents, and became artisans, who invented so many new crafts and produced so many new items, which made everyday day life easier. The most crucial invention was a wheel, which was invented around 3,000 years ago, probably in Mesopotamia or Asir. The invention of wheel enabled people to travel great distances and sell their own food surplus, arts and crafts in other villages, towns, and cities, which provided cultural exchange and greatly enriched the communities involved. The other very important invention was bronze, an alloy of copper and tin, which enabled craftsmen to make more strong and durable metal items All of these were foundation for development of civilizations which are societies that have cities, a central government run by officials and workers specialized in different jobs, from writing and art to trade and building. Soon the trade was spread not only on the land but also over the big bodies of water. Unfortunately, overall development led to development of social classes i.e. group of people with similar backgrounds, incomes and ways of living. The social hierarchy went from king or chief to religious leaders, noble man and land owners to government officials and military officers, then to traders and craftsmen, and finally, to common workers and farmers who were the poorest members of the society. Finally the most unfortunate ones were slaves who were owned as property and had no human rights.