Complex Civilizations

The idea of a complex civilization refers to a society of people that construct a city and take into account important aspects such as where to get water for drinking and irrigation. The civilization also forms a system of commerce that allows people to trade goods and services, but in order for the system to be successful it must also have a language and system of writing. The society will develop and grow over time, and because of technology people will be able to complete difficult tasks in less time with minimal effort. Three examples of a complex civilization are the Mesopotamian, Egyptian, and Assyrian civilizations. The relationship between all three of these civilizations does change over time because the people and society that make up the civilizations are constantly changing. Each of the civilizations share some common qualities, but the little differences such as a unique writing system or a new code of laws is what separates the civilizations and makes each so important.

The Mesopotamian civilization is located in the valley of the Tigris and Euphrates and is the first civilization to have been constructed. The region is divided into two zones and is made up of a number of city-states in which colonies of people built cities and language and writing systems were adopted or created. The Sumerians spoke a non-Semitic language and developed a writing system called cuneiform, which consisted of wedge-shaped marks on a clay tablet that was different from any other writing system developed by one of the other civilizations. The Sumerians started the development of mathematics and had their own calendar and law system. The law system is Hammurabi's Law Code and it dealt with economic, criminal, and civil law. It contained hundreds of rules and is the closest system most similar to our modern law system. Slavery became a big part of the commerce of society and is a common quality of each complex civilization. As with Egypt and Assyria, agriculture is a very highly valued trade and is an important part of society because no civilization could survive without food.

The Egyptian civilization arose right around the same time as the Mesopotamian civilization and shared many characteristics. They both were divided into two zones and were ruled by a king. Egypt was centered on the Nile River, a source of water and transportation between the north and south of the civilization. Cities and pyramids were constructed by workers and slaves and a writing language was adopted from Mesopotamia, despite the fact that Egypt spoke a Semitic language and Mesopotamia did not. The Egyptians also held agriculture in high regard because the society was able to grow all sorts of crops in the fertile valley on the edges of the Nile. Warfare, just like in Mesopotamia, is a constant and Egypt