Life in a single place and the development of cultural identity
From nomads, to villages, to city-states: As long as we have lived upon this planet we have needed food and shelter in order to survive. But food is a scarce resource in a world where everything that lives fights to get it at the risk of their own lives. Humans, like any other creature, had to fight for their food. In order to endure harsh winters humans had to move around the world changing locations, picking up fruits and berries, and hunting where it was possible. Tools allowed us to hunt and fire allowed us to cook our food and to gain more nutrients from every bite. Thus, we became stronger.
Once again through the power of Thought, the use of our Memories and our attempts to fulfil our Dreams, we saw that food would grow there where a seed had received both light and water. These two amazing “Gods”, the water and the sun, became the very essence of our prosperity. Soon we understood how to grow food using the power of these Gods. Agriculture was born. But it was not yet a science, but a religious ritual of life and death. With agriculture we could stay in one place and feed ourselves throughout the entire year. Now we could rule the land where we lived. Our time as nomads had ended.
Villages were created, populated by families that dedicated to the safekeeping of crops and to the creation of various different kinds of tools. Clothing, weapons, pots and many other things were created in order to allow us to live more comfortably. Surplus in food production meant food for all. Because of this population numbers grew. Before we could realize it we lived in groups of thousands of people, all sharing a single origin, a single language, a single idea of the world. We shared religion, technology and Law. We had a single culture.
Once this happened we started to live in cities and cities were all we had. Our entire human State was limited to the confines of the city limits and the villages that existed close to it. This is why we called these human States, City-states. The food surplus we had was traded with other human societies and soon City-states started to grow in power and influence. Smaller groups joined larger ones learning their language and traditions. The world started to unite and societies flourished.
But with all this prosperity came the tides of war. The only adversary of human societies that was left were other human societies. No other creature in the planet could oppose us in any way. Suddenly we became our own worst enemy and because of this the protection of our City-states became paramount in our lives. We assembled armies, created weapons and armour, and trained warriors that would defend the cities form other human societies. The power of men and their strength made them rulers and kings of the past. Priests had to relinquish their control of societies to the might of men and their weapons of death and protection.
In every single civilisation you can always find six distinct characteristics: Read pages 18 -19
Advanced Cities: As populations grow in a single place cities are created. More than large villages cities are centres of trade, places where markets are created. In these markets people from nearby lands would come to trade. This is why surplus in food was fundamental for the creation of cities.
Specialized workers: When agriculture was discovered everything changed for the peoples of the past. Instead of an entire population working on growing crops (farming) some would focus on other things such as the creation of tools (carpentry and blacksmithing). In time, as cities grew workers begun to specialize (become very good at something). This helped to improve the quality of goods and new technologies were being discovered every day.
Complex institutions: To maintain order in such a large place as a city a complex form of government had to be created. No longer was a king or a spiritual leader enough to organize all the people. Governments had to become more complex. Officials that acted in the name of kings or priests were given titles and control over small fragments of the city. Other institutions such as the religious temples also had to become more complex. A single priest was not enough so the spiritual leader would also designate officials to help him or her in his or her daily chores.
Record Keeping: As institutions such as the government, religion and economy became more complex people started to realize the need and power of record keeping. A record (registro, en español) is a way to store information that you cannot remember for later use. In order to keep an organized society civilisations had to create vast documentation of everything. This helped them keep track of time and control the now complicated life in a city.
Advanced technology: Every civilisation has developed new ways to solve the imminent problems of life in a large city. The inventions they created were fundamental for the creation of new tools, the domestication of animals, and the appropriate use of the resources they had.
Identity (Not found on Book): Members of a single civilisation are able to recognise each other with ease. This sense of identity allows them to relate in terms of “family” and create bonds of friendship and love that allow them to act as community and not just as individuals.
