Week Three Blog Post

Around 3500 B.C. to 3000 B.C., the world's earliest civilizations started emerging. The three most notable early civilizations included Mesopotamia, Egypt, and Norte Chico. They were all important, but Notre Chico was especially distinctive and usually doesn't get much recognition in history books. Notre Chico was located near the central coast of Peru. Unlike Mesopotamia and Egypt, Notre Chico possessed smaller cities with less economic specialization. Fishing was the main industry, since everyone was so close to the coast. Also, archaeologists found no evidence of a writing system they might have used, but they did uncover quipu, which were knotted chords. These could have been used for accounting, writing, or symbols. Notre Chico did not have any defensive walls to protect them against outsiders, which meant there must have been little to no warfare. This unique, early civilization was mostly self-contained, with barely any imports, except for maize.

Some other early civilizations around the world at the time included the Indus Valley in South Asia, the Xia dynasty in China, the Oxus in Central Asia, and the Olmec, located near the Gulf of Mexico.

The Neolithic Era/Agricultural Revolution caused people to settle down in communities. But the new technology that came with this new era caused people to produce surplus food that could support large populations. With an increased population and limited agricultural land in some places, there was a need for new technology and innovation. This problem was solved through irrigation, plows, and more.

Cities were important to early civilizations. They were considered to be the center of politics, culture, manufacturing, and they also acted as marketplaces for trade. The rise of cities also made people realize that this new urban society was impersonal, unlike Paleolithic life, where everyone knew everyone in their group. Inequalities were abound in these cities, whether it had to do with wealth, status, or power. There was no more egalitarianism, since job specialization became important.

Hierarchies also came into play. The upper class usually consisted of the rich, who had to do little to no physical labor, unlike the majority of the people. Those in the upper class occupied the top positions in politics, the military, and religion. Most of the population were placed in the rank of "free commoners". This included artisans, lower level officials, soldiers, police, servants, and most important of all, farmers. At the bottom of the social hierarchy were slaves. Prisoners of war, debtors, and criminals were likely to become slaves.

There was also a patriarchal hierarchy. How did this sort of hierarchy become a social norm? Why did it just arise in human history then? Historians think it was because as agriculture became a way of life, men were the only ones capable of performing the best with heavy tools. Also, with the bigger, settled population, more women were becoming pregnant and had to take care of the children and home. Patriarchal laws could be seen in early civilizations. For instance, a woman was not allowed to sleep with any other man but her husband or else she would be severely punished. Yet, a married man could have as many affairs with whomever he chooses, as long as they aren't married too.

Religion and the "gods" usually served to justify unequal power and privilege in early civilizations. No one probably thought to question it, which makes me feel grateful to live now, in a society where questioning things is encouraged.