
The earliest signs of a process leading to sedentary culture can be seen in the Levant to as early as 12,000 BC, when the Natufian culture became sedentary it evolved into an agricultural society by 10,000 BC. The term "cradle of civilization" is often used to refer to other historic civilizations, most notably Ancient Greece which has been called the "cradle of Western civilization."įurther information: Neolithic Revolution, Urban revolution, and Chalcolithic All depended upon farmers producing an agricultural surplus to support the centralized government, political leaders, priests, and public works of the urban centers of the civilization. All of the cradles of civilization depended upon agriculture for subsistence (except possibly Caral-Supe which may have depended initially on marine resources). Other cradles of civilization include Caral-Supe or Norte Chico civilization in coastal Peru and the Olmec civilization of Mexico. Mesopotamia, Ancient Egypt, Ancient India and Ancient China are believed to be the earliest in the Old World.

Scholars generally acknowledge six cradles of civilization. The transition from simpler societies to the complex society of a civilization is gradual. The formation of urban settlements (cities) is the primary characteristic of a society that can be characterized as "civilized." Other characteristics of civilization include a sedentary non-nomadic population, monumental architecture, the existence of social classes and inequality, and the creation of a writing system for communication. Pictured are the Giza Pyramids.Ī cradle of civilization is a location and a culture where civilization was created by mankind independent of other civilizations in other locations.

.jpg)
Among the various cradles of civilization is Ancient Egypt.
