ANTH100 Lecture Notes - Lecture 6: Burmese Chronicles, Political System, Social Stratification

• School: University of Waterloo
• Department: Anthropology
• Course: ANTH100
• Professor: Gotz Hoeppe

Document Summary

Chapter 6: the emergence of cities and states. The world"s first cities grew out of neolithic villages between 4,500 and 6,000 years ago. First in mesopotamia, then in egypt and the indus valley. In china, the process was underway by 5,000 years ago. Somewhat later, and completely independently, similar changes took place in mesoamerica and the central andes. Four basic cultural changes mark the transition from neolithic village life to life in civilized urban centers: agricultural innovation, diversification of labor, emergence of centralized government, and social stratification. Agricultural innovation involved the development of new farming methods such as irrigation that increased crop yields. Agricultural innovations brought about other changes such as increased population size. Diversification of labor intensified as a result of population growth in cities. Some people could provide sufficient food for everyone so that others could devote themselves to specialization as artisans and craftspeople.