1st Civilizations

In chapter 2 it discusses the different First Civilizations & hierarchy. It also discusses how these civilizations evolved with their own cultures. 

As for the First Civilizations I noticed that these civilizations all started by a body of water of some sort in a valley. This is the most ideal place to begin a civilization. It had the necessary resources such as water and fertile land. These civilizations grew with the refined agricultural system allowing for a surplus of food and resources. This makes sense to me because if a civilization is more well off with a surplus of food then it allows more growth for the current citizens as well as future descendants. I feel that because agriculture was such a big part of their livelihoods they relied heavily on the irrigation systems that were put in place by their leaders. These leaders put laws in place to make sure their civilization could thrive. I applaud them for that.

As for their evolution of cultures, each early civilization had their own set of traditions and customs. However I did not realize that many of these cultural things were very similar. For example, they all shared agricultural growth(irrigation), politics, and trade. Although they all came about at different times in our history they all shared similar ways of life in order to flourish. 

One thing that stood out to me was the topic of slavery. My first thought that comes to mind about slavery is slavery in America. Africans were forced onto slave ships and brought to the Americas to be used for agricultural laborers. Once a slave always a slave, even the children of slaves. However, in the 1st civilizations slaves were not this stereotype we all think about today. Slaves then were prisoners of war, criminals, or debtors. They were sold to owners and the owners decided what their job would be to help support their owner. Women mostly worked in weaving factories where men worked to maintain irrigation canals and to construct zigguts. This different look on slavery makes sense to me. These slaves were slaves because they broke the law or are enemies of the civilization. Slavery most Americans know today is bottom line unacceptable because they did nothing wrong to deserve to be enslaved.