The Origin of Human Civilization and Rational Relationship
and where
the best answer
the origin and distribution of human civilization
the cradle of human civilization-the ancient two-river basin
The earliest light of civilization appeared in the two-river basin, which refers to the Euphrates River and the Tigris River in southwest Asia. The middle and lower reaches of these two rivers are flat, and the ancient Greeks called it "Mesopotamia", which means the land between rivers. As early as four or five thousand years ago BC, Sumerians lived here. For the Sumerians, although people still don't know which ethnic group they are. However, they made use of the superior local natural conditions to create the earliest civilization of mankind, but they have been recognized unanimously. Human civilization first appeared in Mesopotamia, thanks to "the date palm trees growing there not only provided abundant food, but also provided a lot of wood;" In the reeds there, there are all kinds of wild birds and animals, as well as fish, which provide valuable food protein and fat; What is particularly valuable is that the soil there is extremely fertile alluvial soil. " (Anoos, Stavri, 1999). Smart Sumer chose this "land of geomantic omen" and successfully completed the transition from Neolithic tribal culture to civilization.
Sumerians created splendid culture in the two river basins, the most representative of which is cuneiform characters formed in 3 BC. As a famous scholar said, "writing is not a thoughtful invention, but a by-product with a strong awareness of private property." Writing has always been a feature of Sumerian classical civilization. " Cuneiform writing is a writing material made by Sumerians from clay in two river basins, and it is engraved with a reed pole, bone stick or wooden stick cut into triangular tips as a pen. Because the shape is like a wedge, it is called cuneiform writing. In addition to cuneiform characters, Sumerians have been able to distinguish the five planets from the stars, and divide the stars visible to the naked eye into constellations, and later divide them into zodiac signs. In addition, there is the literary Epic of Gilgamesh, which is about 35 lines long and is the earliest epic in the world so far.
a gift from the Nile ── Egypt
Egypt is located in the lower reaches of the Nile River in northeast Africa, as far back as the Paleolithic Age, and there are already residents in northern Africa. At that time, the climate in North Africa was mild and humid, and it was covered with grass and forests. At that time, the residents made a living by fishing, hunting and gathering. About 1, years ago, when the last ice age ended, the climate in North Africa gradually turned to drought and deserts appeared. But the Nile that runs through the territory turned Egypt into an oasis in the desert, so many residents moved to the banks of the Nile one after another. The Nile River floods regularly every year. In a section of Egypt, the banks of the valley are gradually flooded in June and July every year due to the upstream flash floods, reaching a climax in September and beginning to ebb in November. During the flooding period, the long-term drought farmland is fully irrigated, leaving a layer of fertile silt after the flood subsides, which is beneficial to crop growth. Therefore, the ancient Egyptians regarded the Nile as a god and compiled mythical hymns for it. For example, there is a poem in an ancient Egyptian poem: "How punctual he keeps his promise and how generous he is in giving gifts! He gives gifts to everyone, to Egypt, Egypt, the poor, the rich, the strong and the weak. "
therefore, the Nile brought developed ancient agriculture to the ancient Egyptians, and on this basis, the civilization of the Nile valley came into being. Egypt's writing, literature, architecture, art and science had a great influence on many ancient countries, especially those on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean, and made great contributions to the development of human culture. For example, pictographs invented by the ancient Egyptians were passed on to the Phoenicians, a commercial clan on the east coast of the Mediterranean, and thus formed Greek letters. Except for pictographs, Egyptian characters are mostly used for inscriptions, and priests' scripts and Shi's scripts are generally written on papyrus. Papyrus is made by people in the lower reaches of the Nile. The stem of a tall plant in the swamp area is rich in fiber, which is cut into long strips and then glued together with trees. It was not only used by the ancient Egyptians, but also became a common paper in the eastern Mediterranean. In terms of scientific knowledge: ① More than 4 constellations are known. (2) make a calendar, divide the whole year into 12 months, 3 days per month, and add 5 days at the end of the year for festivals. This is the first solar calendar in human history. (3) the construction of the pyramids shows that the Egyptians have mastered the necessary mathematical knowledge. In medicine, doctors have a professional division of labor, such as treating eye diseases, toothache and trauma. In addition, the pyramid architecture of ancient Egypt and the sculpture of the Sphinx all show superb art.