The 7 innovative civilization, theory & criticism

Common elements in Mesopotamia, Indus and Egypt.

Monumental architecture:

• Religious belief, gods (tempels, bath house, pyramids,)*

• Appeared near rivers (flood banks and fertile)

• Written language (Hieroglyphs, trading not readable though, cuneform)

• Social Hierachy/ leader (pyramid, slaves, kingslists in stonecarving, different statuses, government)

• Exchange of goods (mesopotamia network) - get resourses they can't produce where they live
  BUT NO SUCH THINGS AS FINANCIAL PROFIT! Didn't do it for profit.

• Agriculture - irrigation system (bevattningssystem)*

*Civil Loyalty

All of a sudden huge building. They orginize differently.

Orginizing people to get irrigation system. Alla they are build on an irrigation system. They have brought togheter 100 of people, constructing project. Enought food then to make all of the stuff above happened.

Without orginizing people, wouldnt have that.

People see them selves as citi citisens now, how people see them seleves changed. The civil loyalty. People see themselves as a part of a city than a tribe.

From tibe to city

Innovative civilization PP

The first cities

Innovation or diffusion

In cronological order:

• Mesopotamia in iraqe
• Nile in egypt
• Indus in india paquistan
• Huhang he in eastern china
• Mesoamerica in modern mexico
• Andies in west coust south america
• *Niger central west africa

These 7 are special because they appear out of nowehere, original, not influenced by any other civilization. Very first cities are in mesopotamia. They are totally Unique!

Other civilization had been difused, like the greks. They're influenced by mesopotamia and egypt.

*get the map on the PP*

Theory and criticism

• Analysis is based on taking these 4 theories and testing weather they fit our civlilazation!

• The cosmo-magical city

 he Tried to find a pattern

The center of all these acient city these's a religius center!

Before the cities excisted, people would have visitet that location. A great meeting for the hunter-gatherer people. Would meet here like 1/year. Had a ceremony and place had religiois significanse. They were fertile, fresh water (these nice places) and you met all the other poeple in the area there, they got a religious significans!

While they're there meeting other groups they exchanged siblings (?)

These religious center performed some kind of magic. Not pulling a rabbit out of a hat, but perfomed some kind of show to predict the future. The magic tried to commiunicate with the cosmos, with the gods. Performing magic to communicate with the gods.

Not only had they religious centers, they seemed to controll all economic and administral activity. Contolls pretty muc everything in that city.

Administrivy buildings, not only religoius center but controled also! In research!

• Lewis mumford

Agrees with weathlys theory, but argues that the cities as they grow they would overlapp one an other. That would create compitition, wich would lead to warefare. That goes from the very firt cities until today. The cities grow they grow together, and they go to war together. Part of the theory. It you finns the prcens or war theres proof of contines warfare, then mumfus does fit.

The type of warefare, because of the relious, the warfare horrible. The power and religion makes a distructive mix

The religios is worse than the other kinds because if you fight for religious belief you tend to be fanatical (9/11 exemple) mixing religio and war is not a good thing. At this time you'll hear about cities that are defeated and population completely exicuted.

• Gerda lerner

She argues the beginning of cities start the segregation of women. The upper paeolithic woman had high statues, but here women loose out. Because momfurds idea (cities lead to warefare) and warefare ipotant part, men contoleld the political power. When you defended your cities successfully, when they return they get status! That's men, and their power raises as they can fight. Women loose power.

• Karl marx

Political philosofer. Before political philosofer, historican analyst

Citie society starts to split up to different groups. Everyones a gatherer, hunter and so on. But now people specialize in different taskt. People now work with e.g. metal the whole day. (not farming in morning and metal in evning) only one task! Priests, administrators (people that can write), slaves. Society now have splitted into different groups.

He also says these different groups had to be conflicting!

Evidence of conflict!