The evolution of our civilization: forming of government systems

After the agricultural revolution, human settlements transformed their small towns into advanced civilizations. As cities grew, some of the key elements in order to have a successful village included having food surpluses to provide opportunities for farmers and other workers and an organized government system. As government, religion, and the economy got more complicated people realized that they needed to keep records. Without the evolution of these ideas, our world would be entirely different from how it is today.

As cities were expanding and growing, the need for more specialized workers, such as, government officials, traders, and priests became vital. Having food surpluses in agricultural villages allowed for the farmers and other people to try out new jobs. These new jobs allowed some of the citizens to become artisans and follow different trades. Specialization helped artisans become better at making goods by hand, such as designing jewelry, fashioning metal tools or weapons, making pottery, and clothing out of natural resources. Some of the most important inventions were created by the artisans. This included the wheel and the sail which both transformed the way we travel today.

The wide range of products crafted by the artisans also helped their cities become big centers of trade and wealth. When steady amounts of foods were produced, this meant that people, more specifically, women could eat more and become healthier. Women were able to reproduce and have healthy babies that would live for years. But as the population started to grow, and things were getting chaotic, people started to recognize that they needed some system of government to keep peace and maintain order. For the citizens’ safety, laws and rules were enforced. With a government now in place, people now had a sense of safety and security.

After government systems were established and laws were made, people needed to write and keep records of these laws and other important documents. Government officials needed to document tax collections, a passage of laws, and the storage of grain. Priests also needed to write down important things, like keeping track of the calendar and important rituals. Merchants had to record accounts of payments, and debt. The act of writing things down also created yet another job where scribes would professionally keep records. They invented a system of writing called cuneiform, which means “ wedge-shaped”. The scribe’s tool used to write was a reed with a wedge-shaped point. The scribes would press it into wet clay to make symbols. This was some of the earliest known written communication.

The evolution of our civilization began with farming, and we then worked our way up to forming government systems and recording vital information. The evolution of our civilization shaped our world today. And if it wasn’t for civilizations, we would probably still be hunters and gatherers and not be the sophisticated species that we are today.