Stuff You Missed in History Class Mesopotamia: The First Civilization
May 13, 2009
They dig into what counts as a civilization and why definitions matter. They trace agriculture, irrigation, and city growth in the Tigris-Euphrates heartland. They highlight temples, early writing and accounting, literature and law, and technological firsts like the wheel. They weigh rival early sites that challenge the claim of being the very first civilization.
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Agriculture Created Cooperative Societies
- Civilization often begins when settled agriculture forces cooperative planning for planting, harvesting, and distribution.
- Hosts Candace Gibson and Jane McGrath link 8000 BC agriculture to lasting social structures that enabled art, religion, and fixed settlements.
Irrigation Turned Rivers Into Regional Breadbaskets
- Mesopotamia's fertility came from the Tigris and Euphrates and early irrigation expanded farming beyond riverbanks.
- Candace explains canals and irrigation allowed population booms and the growth of cities beyond single plots.
Accounting Sparked Writing Then Literature
- Writing in Mesopotamia began as accounting and then evolved into literature, law, and religious texts.
- Candace cites cuneiform records used for finance, while Jane points to the Epic of Gilgamesh and flood myths as later literary uses.