Civilization Basics
What is a civilization?
An organized society with characteristics such as government, specialized jobs, stable food, technology, writing, and social structure.
What does domesticate mean?
To raise/grow plants or animals for human use.
Early civilizations commonly developed near what geographical feature?
Rivers and floodplains.
What is division of labor?
Different people doing different jobs.
Why did civilizations need communication?
So people could work together and solve problems.
Which is a characteristic of civilization: nomadic lifestyle OR organized government?
Organized government.
Why was domesticating plants important?
It created a reliable food supply.
Why were rivers useful to early farmers?
They provided water and fertile land for growing crops.
What is another word for people having different types of jobs?
Specialization.
What was the ancient Mesopotamian writing system called?
Cuneiform
What characteristic helped civilizations make decisions, create rules, and organize large groups of people?
Government.
What do we call extra food beyond what people immediately need?
Surplus.
What structures did early civilizations use to control floodwaters?
Dams and canals.
A person spends their time making music instead of growing food. What characteristic of civilization does this show?
Specialization/division of labor.
What does evidence of a writing system tell us about a civilization?
The people had a shared/common language or way to communicate.
Why did larger settlements need leaders?
To organize people, make decisions, solve problems, and keep society functioning.
How did surplus food help settlements grow?
People had enough food to support larger populations and people who did jobs besides farming.
What technology allowed farmers to move/control water and farm on a larger scale?
Irrigation.
Why could some people become builders, artists, religious leaders, or musicians instead of farmers?
Surplus/stable food supplies meant not everyone had to produce food.
Name one thing early people could keep records of using writing.
Land/property or other important information.
Name four characteristics of civilization.
stable food supply, specialization, infrastructure, government, technology, belief systems, writing, social structure, culture.
Complete the cause-and-effect chain:
Farming → ______ → larger settlements → specialized jobs → civilizations
Surplus food.
Explain how controlling river water could help a civilization grow.
Irrigation/dams/canals provided or controlled water for crops, which increased the food supply and helped support larger populations.
An archaeologist discovers evidence of farmers, builders, musicians, and religious leaders in an ancient settlement. What can the archaeologist conclude?
The civilization had specialized jobs/division of labor.
Archaeologists find a carved stone recording that a king gave land to someone. What does this evidence show about how writing was used?
Writing was used to keep records of land/property.