The First Human Civilizations

The First Human Civilizations

Information about the first human civilizations is changing all the time. Archaeologists add to our knowledge with each new excavation, but many areas, such as the Indus Valley, have not yet been thoroughly explored for their evidence. Archaeologists and historians are still struggling to interpret ancient written records and other artifacts. In addition, techniques such as carbon dating constantly improve our ability to understand the materials we find and to place them in their proper context.

All dates in the early chapters of this book are BC. They are also approximate; early civilizations belong to such a remote past that present-day historians can- not be exact about dates. Thus, we tend to speak of events occurring within a range of dates that represent the best of our current knowledge.

Human beings began to organize themselves into civilizations around 3500 to 3000 BC, or 5500 to 5000 years before the present day. The period from about 3000 to 1000 BC is called the Bronze Age, named for the hard, durable metal created by mixing copper with tin. Before about 3000 BC, people made weapons and tools from copper alone. When people first got the idea of creating a copper-tin alloy, they quickly discovered that it produced stronger, more effective, and longer-lasting tools and weapons. All successful civilizations from this era worked in bronze (see Figure 1.1)

Practice questions for these concepts can be found at: 

Early Civilization Practice Test