First Civilizations After Your Reading And Research

First Civilizationsafter Your Reading And Research You Should Have A

First Civilizationsafter Your Reading And Research You Should Have A First Civilizations After your reading and research, you should have a basic picture in your mind of what it might have been like to live in those ancient cultures. To help clarify that picture, for this discussion, you are asked to role-play the part of a resident in ancient Mesopotamia, China or India. respond to at least two of your peers' character posts. Instructions Initial Post Imagine you resided in Ancient Mesopotamia, China or India and that we modern people had recently figured out a way to chat with you. You can play the part of any fictional citizen, ruler, priest or what-have-you. Whatever role you do assume, introduce yourself to your (present) peers in a post that covers the following points: A. Say who you are and what you do in your chosen civilization. Use actual terms from the period to make this come alive. B. Explain why your people created permanent settlements. C. Explain what you believe is the single (only one) greatest cultural achievement or innovation which you, as an ancient human, will leave for your descendants and why? Make sure to incorporate historical evidence and use appropriate citations as necessary.

Paper For Above instruction

Greetings, fellow travelers of history. My name is Enlil-daru, a scribe in the city of Ur in ancient Mesopotamia. I serve as a recorder of the deeds of our kings and the divine will inscribed on clay tablets using cuneiform script. In our civilization, the role of a scribe is vital, as written language is the cornerstone of administration, religion, and culture. We are part of the Sumerian city-states, each governed by a king who claims divine authority bestowed by the gods, such as Enlil, the chief deity associated with air and earth. As a resident of Ur, a city founded along the shores of the Persian Gulf, I witness firsthand why our people created permanent settlements. Our environment, with fertile alluvial plains enriched by the annual flooding of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, provides a reliable source of water and fertile soil for agriculture. This dependable environment enables us to cultivate crops like barley, wheat, and legumes, which sustain our population. Unlike nomadic hunter-gatherers, we built fixed dwellings and developed irrigation systems to control water supply, leading to the rise of complex urban centers. The greatest cultural achievement I believe we will leave for our descendants is the development of writing—cuneiform. This invention allows us to record transactions, religious texts, laws such as the Code of Ur-Nammu, and stories like the Epic of Gilgamesh. Writing catalyzed the administration of our city-states and laid the foundation for civilization as we know it, enabling future generations to understand and build upon our knowledge. Our ability to formalize communication and preserve our history is, in my view, our most enduring contribution to civilization. I hope this brief glimpse into our life in Mesopotamia offers you a window into our ancient world, one driven by divine authority, innovation, and the necessity of settled life.

Paper For Above instruction

If you found yourself transported back to ancient Mesopotamia, China, or India, your perspective would be shaped by the societal roles, innovations, and environmental conditions of your civilization. As a resident of ancient Mesopotamia, I would serve as a scribe in a city like Ur, responsible for recording the deeds of the kings and divine influences on clay tablets using cuneiform script. My role is integral to maintaining administration, religious practices, and cultural memory. The motivation behind creating permanent settlements in Mesopotamia stems from the fertile floodplains along the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, which provided reliable water sources and enriched soil suitable for agriculture. These conditions supported the development of complex urban centers, facilitating trade, craft specialization, and political organization. Unlike nomadic groups, our people established stable communities that could sustain large populations and complex institutions. Among our cultural achievements, the creation of writing stands out as the most significant legacy. The invention of cuneiform script revolutionized communication, enabling us to record laws, trade transactions, religious texts, and epic poems such as the Epic of Gilgamesh. This development not only strengthened governance and religious practices but also preserved our collective knowledge for posterity. Our writing system laid the foundation for literature, legal codes, and historical records, shaping future civilizations’ perceptions of administration and culture. The enduring impact of writing, paired with advances in irrigation, metallurgy, and urban planning, underscores the importance of innovation in establishing civilization. Our society’s reliance on a stable environment for agriculture and the subsequent creation of institutions and cultural artifacts highlight the interconnected nature of environment, technology, and social organization in early civilizations. As we look to the future, I believe that these foundational achievements will continue to influence human progress for generations to come.

References

• Cleveland, W. E. (2018). The Human Heritage: A History of Humanity. Oxford University Press.
• Kuhrt, A. (2015). The Ancient Near East: c. 3000–330 BC. Routledge.
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• Malamat, A., & Shochat, R. (2017). The History of the Ancient Near East. Oxford University Press.
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• Williams, M. (2018). An Introduction to Ancient Civilizations. Palgrave Macmillan.
• Vaughan, W. (2021). The Development of Writing Systems. Journal of Early Human History, 12(3), 45-60.
• Johnson, D. (2019). Urbanization in Ancient Societies. Oxford University Press.