This chapter offers a brief introduction to the transformation of human societies from simple hunters and gatherers to complex civilizations. It examines the various stages along this path and identifies major causes for this evolution. It concludes with an exploration of some of the first complex civilizations to emerge in West Asia and North Africa. The following Internet activities will help reinforce issues and themes presented in Chapter 1 of McKay, A History of World Societies (Fifth Edition).

Helpful Hints:

• You may want to begin by printing this page. As you explore different sites, use the printout to refer back to the instructions and questions detailed in each activity.
  
  
• On many web sites you can increase the size of the images by clicking on them. Whenever possible, use the larger images to examine fine details in photographs.
  
  

Activity One:

For most of human history, men and women did not practice the art of writing. Without any written records, historians have had to search for other evidence that can illuminate the lives of prehistoric humans. Fortunately, these men and women left behind many clues.

• Go to Metropolitan Museum of Art Near Eastern Collection and The State Hermitage Museum: Neolithic Art. Spend some time observing the images on these sites.
  
  
• Then study the images and drawings at Human Prehistory: An Exhibition and The Chauvet-Pont-d'Ard Cave.
  
  
• Make an exhaustive list of the evidence historians today use to understand prehistoric man. Can this evidence be sorted into broad categories? If so, how? For example, some artifacts might be categorized as ceremonial art or hunting technology.
  
  

Activity Two:

• Review pages 5–7 in McKay, A History of World Societies (Fifth Edition). In your own words, define the terms "Paleolithic Age" and "Neolithic Age." Be sure to include dates. What are the distinguishing factors between the two periods?
  
  
• Compare and contrast artifacts from each era that you observed at the Paleolithic Art Page and The State Hermitage Museum: Neolithic Art. How do these artifacts reflect each time period?  Write a paragraph explaining your answer. You might want to print out some of the images to enhance your argument.
  
  

Activity Three:

• Review pages 8–9 in McKay, A History of World Societies (Fifth Edition). In your own words, define the term "civilization." How is it distinguished from other types of human organization in Paleolithic and Neolithic times? When did it emerge?
  
  
• Analyze the artifacts shown at Mesopotamia: Something Extra. How do these images demonstrate differences between civilizations and Neolithic communities? Write a paragraph explaining your answer.
  
  

Activity Four:

• To review and enhance your understanding of the terms "Paleolithic Age," "Neolithic Age," and "civilization," go to Anatolian Civilizations. Using McKay, A History of World Societies (Fifth Edition), review the location of Anatolia. (See Map 1.2 on page 16.)
  
  
• Click on the following images: Chipped Stone Assemblage, Paleolithic–Mesolithic 600,000–8000 BC; Lance Heads and Arrow Heads, Aceramic Neolithic–Neolithic 8000–5000 BC; and Tablet, Middle and Late Bronze Age 2000–1200 BC. These three images illustrate the transition from Paleolithic to Neolithic to civilized communities in the region. Each represents a different level of technology. How do you think the people who made the objects used them? In what kinds of communities do you think these people lived? Write down your observations.
  
  

Activity Five:

Many civilizations began to emerge in West Asia and North Africa after 3500 B.C. This chapter focuses on three of the earliest ones: Mesopotamia, Egypt, and the Hittite Empire. Distinguishing between them can be challenging. Likewise, identifying and recalling different eras within each civilization can be taxing. To reinforce these objectives, study the chronological charts on pages 10 and 21 in McKay, A History of World Societies (Fifth Edition). Once you feel comfortable with these dates, complete the following exercises.

• Go to Color Tour of Egypt. Click on various Egyptian sites. Look for the date of each ruin and identify the period of Egyptian history during which each originated. (Note: Some of the sites may be from periods not covered in this chapter.)
  
  
• Repeat the same process for the artifacts and ruins shown at Metropolitan Museum of Art: Ancient Near East Collection. and
  Slides of Mesopotamia

Activity Six:

• One way of distinguishing civilizations is by studying their architecture. Compare and contrast the Ziggurats of Mesopotamia with the Pyramids of Egypt. How are they similar and different? How can each type of structure be viewed as a symbol of the civilization in which it was built? Consider the religion, government, and environment that shaped each civilization. Write a few paragraphs that reflect your observations.
  
  

Activity Seven:

Another theme in this chapter is the influence that these three civilizations (Mesopotamia, Egypt, and the Hittite Empire) had on other areas of West Asia and North Africa.

• Review pages 29–30 in McKay, A History of World Societies (Fifth Edition). Then go to Poppa's Ancient World: The Near East, 2000 BC–1200 BC, paying special attention to the maps. This site examines the wars and diplomacy between ancient Egypt, the Hittite Empire, and various Mesopotamian kingdoms. According to this information, did any one civilization dominate the entire region during this period? How common was warfare among the three civilizations? Did they ever form alliances with one another? Can you think of ways in which this warfare and diplomacy affected other peoples in the region?
  
  
• After reviewing this link and the related information in Chapter 1, make a list that describes the various means through which ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, and the Hittite Empire affected one another and West Asia. Give examples for each method you list.