D Y PATIL INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL

2022 – 2023

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G6 Unit 2: What is a civilization? Part 1

What Is A Civilization? | Class 6 - History | Learn With BYJU'S
Six Characteristics of Civilizations
Traits of Civilization
AP World 3: Characteristics of Civilization

What is a civilization? (Background)

● Civilization describes a complex way of life that came about as
people began to develop networks of urban settlements.
● The earliest civilizations developed between 4000 and 3000 BCE
● This rise of agriculture and trade allowed people to have surplus
food and economic stability.
● A diverse variety of professions and interests flourished in these
relatively confined areas as farming was no longer to be
practiced.
● Civilizations ultimately developed on every continent except
Antarctica.

Where did the first civilizations appear?

- in Mesopotamia (what is now Iraq) and
- later in Egypt.
- in the Indus Valley by about 2500 BCE,
- in China by about 1500 BCE
- in Central America (what is now Mexico) by about 1200 BCE.

Characteristics of Civilization
(1) large population centres;
(2) monumental architecture and unique art styles;
(3) shared communication strategies;
(4) systems for administering territories;
(5) a complex division of labour;
(6) the division of people into social and economic classes.
1
 5 Key Traits of a Civilization

Advanced Cities ● Cities were the birthplaces of

the first civilizations
● Like their modern-day
counterparts, ancient city
dwellers depended on trade.

Specialized Workers ● Some city dwellers became

artisans—skilled workers who
make goods by hand.
● For example, making jewelry,
metal tools, weapons, clothing and
pottery.

Complex Institutions ● In civilizations, leaders emerged to maintain order among

people and to establish laws.
● For example, the Government.

Record Keeping ● Around 3000 B.C., Sumerian

scribes—or professional record
keepers—invented a system of writing
called cuneiform
(KYOO•nee•uh•FAWRM), meaning
“wedge-shaped.”

Improved ● The period called the Bronze Age refers

Technology to the time when people began using
bronze, rather than copper and stone, to
make tools and weapons.

Questions
1. What is a civilization? (5)
2. Where did the first civilizations appear? (5)
3. Describe the 5 Key Traits of a Civilization (10)
4. Discuss the characteristics of a Civilization (5)