The Oldest Known Civilizations

Aug 9, 2023

The Oldest Known Civilizations

Humans have been around for around 350,000 years, but it has only been a short time since they began to group together in what we call civilizations. In all of our history on this planet, humans have only civilized themselves for approximately 10,000 years thanks to the development of agriculture, animal husbandry, and eventually writing. Of the thousands of civilizations that have existed, most have disappeared. Few have remained in the same place they originated such as the Chinese or Egyptians, while most have died out. Many ancient civilizations existed throughout human history, but some lasted longer than you might believe.

Be sure to subscribe to the Weird History Newsletter: https://www.ranker.com/newsletters/we…

#civilization #humanhistory #weirdhistory

Content

0 -> Although human beings have been around

2.13 -> for hundreds of thousands of years, what we'd recognize

5.49 -> as human civilization didn't appear until close to the year

8.91 -> 7000 BCE, when humans started domesticating

12.06 -> plants and animals and inhabiting

13.65 -> seasonal settlements.

15.06 -> Gradually, those settlements grew

16.59 -> into full-blown civilizations, many of which

19.62 -> came together much longer ago than you may have realized.

23.1 -> Today, we're examining some of the oldest known civilizations

26.79 -> in the world.

27.88 -> But before we get started, be sure to subscribe to the Weird

30.57 -> History channel and leave a comment letting

33.09 -> us know what other parts of the ancient world you'd

35.37 -> like to hear about next.

36.94 -> OK, time to hit the dating scene--

39.42 -> the carbon dating scene, that is.

41.715 -> [MUSIC PLAYING]

44.24 -> Around 10,000 years BCE, humanity

47.36 -> entered what's now known as the Neolithic or New Stone Age

50.63 -> era which lasted for around 5,000 to 8,000 years.

54.02 -> While the term "humans" encompassed

55.94 -> a few different species in the earlier Paleolithic era,

59 -> by the Neolithic we're only talking about our own folks--

62.72 -> good old Homo sapiens sapiens.

65.45 -> Beyond more magazine-friendly, nonsloping foreheads,

68.9 -> the Neolithic period brought a lot more changes as well,

71.67 -> including the first farming settlements, widespread use

74.39 -> of metal tools in addition to stone,

76.22 -> and the first efforts at pottery.

78.38 -> Known civilizations from this point in history

80.54 -> include Catalhoyuk, an early settlement in modern-day Turkey

84.47 -> that flourished from around 7500 to 5700 BCE.

88.35 -> It's likely this spot was chosen for a city due to its proximity

91.73 -> to a channel of the Carsamba River that no longer exists.

95.4 -> The combination of freshwater and ground

97.76 -> made of alluvial clay would have made

99.74 -> this spot favorable for early attempts at agriculture.

102.92 -> At its height, the population of Catalhoyuk

105.83 -> was probably between 5,000 and 7,000 people

109.01 -> who were living in a society that

110.48 -> was notably communal and egalitarian

112.85 -> by modern-day standards.

114.5 -> That's less people than attended the first WrestleMania.

117.32 -> So while it wasn't quite a bustling metropolis,

120.17 -> it was still pretty impressive for such an early community.

123.53 -> Homes were made of mud brick and were clustered together

126.05 -> in a honeycomb design, with holes in the ceilings, doors,

128.99 -> and walls allowing for people to easily move

130.97 -> between adjoining structures.

132.79 -> Ooh, ceiling holes.

134.42 -> We need to bring those back.

135.86 -> No one lived in a fancier mansion than their neighbors

138.32 -> either.

138.86 -> All the homes were basically identical.

140.94 -> So nobody had the fanciest McMansion on the block.

144.08 -> Fascinatingly, when upgrading buildings, rather than

146.99 -> demolishing the old structures, new ones

149.15 -> were simply built on top of them.

151.1 -> Eventually, the city became a large mound

153.32 -> constructed atop prior cities rising up from the ground.

156.8 -> Archaeologists have excavated as many as 18 levels of settlement

160.31 -> on the same patch of ground.

161.72 -> The whole area was named as a World Heritage Site

164.21 -> by UNESCO in 2012.

168.68 -> Forming around 7000 BCE, the Ain Ghazal civilization

172.4 -> of present-day Jordan was clustered near what is today

174.95 -> the bustling city of Amman.

176.78 -> It's believed Ain Ghazal was composed

178.73 -> of over 3,000 people, which was large enough

181.003 -> to make it one of the world's most

182.42 -> populated cities of its era.

184.025 -> Though not much is known about the people who

185.9 -> lived in Ain Ghazal, around 15 large-scale statues and busts

189.89 -> have survived, some of which are currently on display

192.44 -> in the Jordan museum.

193.88 -> The statues were created by modeling moist,

196.13 -> malleable limestone plaster around a reed core fashioned

199.67 -> entirely with plants found along the banks of the Zarqa River.

202.88 -> As the reeds decayed over millennia,

204.65 -> the hard plaster shells have largely survived.

207.26 -> While today the statues all appear bald,

209.6 -> they probably also originally had wigs.

212.42 -> It's likely they were crafted for some kind of burial ritual

215.575 -> and were designed to be entombed with their owners.

217.7 -> But further specifics about their use,

219.86 -> and Ain Ghazal culture more generally,

222.26 -> have been lost to time.

223.8 -> So the least we could do is get those statues some new wigs.

226.88 -> Their heads have been nude for far too long.

231.45 -> The Norte Chico, the earliest known civilization

234.3 -> in the Americas, formed during the Bronze Age,

237 -> named after the new innervation of smelting copper with tin

239.76 -> to produce the stronger metal alloy.

241.95 -> They lived along the North Central Coast

243.69 -> of what is today Peru, starting around 3100 BCE.

247.2 -> The name Norte Chico actually refers to as many as 30

250.8 -> population centers in and around this area,

253.15 -> which remained active and settled for nearly 2,000 years

256.29 -> until approximately 1800 BCE.

258.66 -> The civilization existed along the banks of Three Rivers--

261.66 -> the Fortaleza, the Patavilica, and the Supe.

265.2 -> Undoubtedly, if they'd had a professional sports team

267.78 -> they would have played at Three Rivers Stadium.

270.03 -> No pottery or visual art from the Norte Chico era

273 -> has survived, but archaeologists have discovered

275.49 -> some of their buildings and architecture,

277.42 -> including sunken circular plazas and platform mounds that

280.38 -> likely once housed buildings or other communal spaces.

283.44 -> Archaeological discoveries also suggest the people

285.84 -> living in the area had textile technology,

288.21 -> possibly wearing cotton clothes and fashioning fishing nets

290.79 -> from cloth, as well as a polytheistic religion.

293.22 ->

296.11 -> Perhaps the most famous Bronze Age site, Mesopotamia,

299.56 -> became a significant population center around 3500 BCE

303.46 -> and remained a vital cluster of civilization through 500 BCE.

307.49 -> It's also a popular source of plot points for at least

310.15 -> two Ghostbusters movies.

311.89 -> The area located between the Tigris and Euphrates River

314.71 -> in what's today Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia,

317.41 -> and Syria was home to multiple distinct societies

319.96 -> over the years, including the Akkadians, the Sumerians,

322.84 -> the Assyrians, and the Babylonians.

324.94 -> The area flourished independently

326.71 -> until it was conquered by the first Persian empire.

329.53 -> More invaders followed, including Alexander the Great,

332.32 -> the Parthian empire, and ultimately, the Romans.

336.04 -> The civilizations that occupied Mesopotamia

338.47 -> are responsible for a vast number

340.27 -> of innovations and firsts in human history,

342.95 -> including writing, early political systems, mathematics,

346.27 -> and astronomy.

347.29 -> But perhaps the region's largest leap

349.69 -> forward came during the era of Babylonian rule

352.48 -> with the explosion of literature and libraries.

355.57 -> Early Sumerian language was expressed

357.49 -> as a complex, logosyllabic script known as cuneiform,

361.04 -> which took many years to learn and master,

363.07 -> and was only understood by a small elite group

365.77 -> within the population.

367.09 -> During the Babylonian period, many Sumerian works

369.55 -> were translated into a simpler form

371.53 -> that more people could read and comprehend.

373.51 -> Some literature written during the Babylonian era,

376.19 -> including the Epic of Gilgamesh, which

378.13 -> was translated from the original Sumerian,

380.23 -> are still widely read today.

384.34 -> The Harappan, or Indus Valley people,

386.17 -> lived between 2200 and 1900 BCE in an area

390.16 -> of South Asia that today stretches across Afghanistan,

392.87 -> Pakistan, and Northwest India.

394.81 -> Their cities were particularly notable

396.76 -> for elaborate urban planning, which

398.74 -> included extensive drainage and water supply systems,

401.35 -> as well as nonresidential buildings designed

403.24 -> for artisans and metallurgy.

404.92 -> In other words, they had plumbing

406.48 -> and industrial districts just like modern cities.

409.81 -> It's believed as many as five million people might

412.24 -> have occupied the Indus Valley at its height,

414.37 -> an area larger than ancient Egypt or Mesopotamia,

417.07 -> and more than 1,000 mature settlements

419.05 -> have been discovered.

420.05 -> Some writings from this period have also been found,

422.217 -> but the Indus script has yet to be fully deciphered,

424.84 -> shrouding their culture and religious beliefs in mystery

427.39 -> to this day.

430.54 -> Today, we refer to ancient Egypt as if it was just one society.

434.49 -> But actually, the term encompasses a variety

436.86 -> of societies that dominated the Nile Valley, coalescing

439.92 -> around 3100 BCE and extending all the way through antiquity

443.52 -> until 300 AD by some accounts.

445.71 -> That's a pretty long run, like The Simpsons

447.81 -> of the ancient world.

448.87 -> This includes both stable kingdoms and also

451.35 -> intermediate periods of relative instability.

454.42 -> Wow.

454.92 -> So exactly like The Simpsons.

456.87 -> Egypt was also periodically invaded by other peoples,

459.94 -> including the Hyksos, the Libyans, the Nubians,

462.96 -> the Assyrians, the Persians, and the Macedonians under Alexander

466.98 -> the Great.

467.55 -> There's that guy again.

468.9 -> Man, what was his problem?

470.55 -> For most modern people the blanket term

472.71 -> Ancient Egypt is most closely associated

475.26 -> with the Old Kingdom, stretching from around 2686 to 2181 BCE.

480.06 -> A considerable increase in agricultural productivity

482.91 -> led to a population boom, more centralization

485.55 -> of the Egyptian government, and many great works,

487.71 -> such as the construction of the pyramids of Giza

489.84 -> and the Sphinx.

490.515 -> [MUSIC PLAYING]

492.99 -> Historians typically date the passage of the Bronze Age

495.87 -> into the Iron Age to around the 12th century BCE,

499.14 -> as sturdier iron and steel started gradually

501.99 -> replacing bronze for most common applications.

505.02 -> While some prior civilizations had early forms of literature

508.05 -> and writing, this is also the period

510.27 -> when the historical record truly begins in earnest,

513.179 -> and we have more primary sources to consult about life on Earth

516.27 -> at the time.

517.11 -> Though the Greek islands had already

518.61 -> been settled throughout the Neolithic and Bronze Age

520.777 -> periods, what's thought of as classical antiquity,

523.45 -> the culture we today associate with ancient Greece,

525.84 -> started forming around the 8th century

527.58 -> BCE when Homer was first jotting down his famous epic poems.

531.36 -> In those early drafts, Odysseus was named Todd,

534.18 -> but the Todyssey didn't quite have the same ring to it.

536.58 -> A rapidly growing population led some Greeks

539.22 -> to spread out and form new colonies around Southern

541.68 -> Italy, Sicily, and Asia Minor.

543.69 -> This, in turn, spread their culture and language

545.85 -> throughout the Mediterranean.

547.23 -> These colonies also experienced significant economic success

550.77 -> in commerce and manufacturing, bringing Greece even more

553.65 -> esteem and influence throughout the ancient world.

556.2 -> The innovation of democratic rule

558 -> in the city-state of Athens ushered in a golden age

560.7 -> for Greek society, while the conquests of Macedonian leader

564.09 -> and perpetual Weird History guest star Alexander the Great,

567.27 -> whose armies spoke Greek, further

569.13 -> spread their culture and ideas leading

571.05 -> into what's known as the Hellenistic period.

573.51 -> Roman civilization initially formed as a kingdom

576.63 -> along the River Tiber in Central Italy, roughly

579.27 -> in tandem with the rise of Greek influence,

581.1 -> starting around 753 BCE.

583.62 -> The final Roman king, Tarquinius Superbus, ruled until 509 BCE

589.08 -> when he was deposed and the first Roman

591.06 -> Republic was established.

592.63 -> However, he continued to rule long after his death

595.68 -> because Superbus--

597.66 -> Superbus-- is the greatest name of any king in history.

601.83 -> This new democratically elected government

603.96 -> would ultimately establish the Roman Empire

606.33 -> and would come to control the majority of the Mediterranean

609.07 -> world.

609.57 -> [MUSIC PLAYING]

612.38 -> Beginning in what is now present-day Iran in 550 BCE,

616.19 -> the Achaemenid empire, also known

618.29 -> as the first Persian empire, steadily

620.57 -> grew and conquered surrounding societies.

623.12 -> By around the year 500 BCE, it had

625.49 -> expanded into the largest geographic empire

627.77 -> the world had ever seen, spanning over

630.05 -> 5.5 million square miles from Egypt in the West

633.35 -> all the way to the Indus Valley in the East.

635.75 -> All that land, and not a single water slide.

638.48 -> What's the point of even having an empire?

640.4 -> Due to the vast amount of ground they needed

642.56 -> to organize and manage, these early Persians

644.69 -> made a number of key innovations,

646.62 -> including road and postal systems,

648.38 -> tolerant multicultural societies,

650.33 -> and complex bureaucracies and infrastructure.

653.12 -> They were also among the first civilizations

655.43 -> to maintain a professional standing army

657.53 -> for both defense and expansion.

659.405 -> [MUSIC PLAYING]

662 -> While Western discussions about the ancient world

664.49 -> often focus exclusively on the Mediterranean,

667.1 -> humans were forming early societies

668.84 -> in the Americas at this time as well.

670.92 -> The Olmecs lived in modern-day Mexico

672.8 -> from around 1400 to 400 BCE, though it's

675.89 -> likely they evolved from previous cultures,

678.18 -> such as the Mokaya or Mixe-Zoque.

681.38 -> They developed a number of cultural practices

683.51 -> and traditions that became hallmarks

685.34 -> for a future of Central and South American societies,

687.93 -> including ritual bloodletting, and a popular ball

690.47 -> game similar to modern-day racquetball,

692.72 -> except way less dentists and entertainment lawyers

695.18 -> played this version.

696.17 -> The Olmecs are also noted for their unique art style, which

699.41 -> included colossal human head sculptures formed

702.5 -> from basalt boulders.

703.49 -> You know the ones we mean.

705.74 -> The Maya civilization meanwhile flourished

708.44 -> in South America around the Yucatan Peninsula from 2600

712.13 -> BCE all the way through the year 900 in the Common Era.

715.73 -> Some Mayan outposts and areas of influence

718.22 -> stuck around far longer than that.

719.99 -> In fact, they were the only ancient South American

722.75 -> society with a fully developed writing system.

725.21 -> And many of their impressive pyramids,

726.89 -> also known as Ziggurats, are still standing to this day.

730.58 -> The very last Mayan city, Nojpeten,

733.49 -> didn't fall to Spanish invaders until 1697,

737 -> 800 years after the Mayan central government collapsed,

740 -> and most Mayan cities had long disappeared.

743.1 -> So what do you think?

744.5 -> Could you have cut it living in any

745.97 -> of these early civilizations?

747.71 -> Let us know in the comments below.

749.37 -> And while you're at it, check out some of these other videos

751.87 -> from our Weird History.

753.02 -> [MUSIC PLAYING]

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6X9bT7QrZk