When did human civilisation begin?

That is a deceivingly tricky question to answer. The first human ancestors appeared between 5-7 million years ago. Homo sapiens (the first modern humans), evolved around 200,000 - 300,000 years ago. So people have been around, in some form or another, for a really long time. But if we want to know when human civilisation began, we probably want to focus on modern humans aka Homo sapiens. Scientists think that humans developed a capacity for language about 50,000 years ago so if we're looking for fully fledged civilisations we should probably start there.

However, while we won't talk about other human species or early societies today, we shouldn't write them off! The evolution of humans is fascinating and I would encourage you to learn more about it. This is a great podcast about Neanderthals which is a good start to the rabbit hole that is 'prehistory'. We also shouldn't forget about all the amazing societies created by early humans. The development of agriculture and stone tools in the Palaeolithic period for example, paved the way for the impressive civilisations we're talking about today.

So, who are we talking about today? Well, when you're talking about big players in the development of human civilisation you've got to talk about Ancient Mesopotamia. Mesopotamia refers to the geographical area between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in the Middle East, specifically modern-day Iraq and Kuwait. It was one of the first places to develop agriculture on a large scale, in part because of the huge rivers flowing through the area. Ancient Mesopotamia is so important in the conservation about ancient civilisation because several societies came out of the area including the Assyrian and Akkadian civilisations. The most famous civilisation to come from the area is probably the Babylonian Empire which was known for its Hanging Gardens -the Hanging Gardens of Babylon were one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World- among other things. (Things which you can find out about in this great podcast.)

So, some may argue that the Babylonian Empire was pretty great (and it was!). However, was it the first? No! The first human civilisation was the Sumerian civilisation. Located between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in an area that later became Babylonia and is now southern Iraq, the Sumerian civilisation was amazing. The area was first settled between 4500 and 4000 BCE* (for reference, the Ancient Roman Empire lasted from 753 BCE - 476 CE and Ancient Egypt was unified in 3100 BCE and lasted until 332 BCE) by a group of people known as the Ubaid people. The civilisation lasted for around 2000 years until the Babylonians took charge in 2004 BCE. The civilisation began, as many did, with agriculture. The marshes in the area were drained in order to make way for intensive agriculture which became a mainstay of the economy of Sumerian cities, alongside stock breeding, fishing and date palm cultivation. The Sumerian civilisation was comprised of a group of city states including the first 'true' city Uruk. At one point, the population was between 40,000 -80,000 people. The cities were quite well organised as they were surrounded by a wall with villages settled just outside.

However, their organisation went further than just the lay out of their cities. The Sumerian language is the oldest linguistic record and used pictographic tablets to express meaning. This allowed meticulous record keeping across many areas of life including laws, some of which date back to 2400 BCE. Alongside language, the Sumerians developed architecture with religious structures that developed through the centuries. They were able to create elaborate constructions with brick columns and mural paintings which reveal their technical sophistication. The Sumerian civilisation had schools, a system of government, a basic system of medicine alongside an advanced knowledge of anatomy, hydraulic engineering (they were able to control flooding and they invented irrigation) and a complex culture. It's believed they created the structure of modern time keeping and that their many written records, including their epic poetry, influenced later works such as sections of the Bible. Plus, the art they have left behind is extensive, beautiful and fascinating. 

As with every historical civilisation, eventually the Sumerian civilisation came to an end as in 2004 BCE people from the neighbouring empires stormed the area and took control. Soon, the area and its people were absorbed into Babylonia. However, the Sumerians were a distinct and wonderful people whose title as first civilisation deserves to be recognised. Of course, being the world's first 'modern society' there's way more to the Sumerians than I've outlined here so, again, I would encourage you to go and learn more!

I hope you enjoyed this mini deep drive into early human history! But more importantly, I hope you can feel a bit of the magic I feel in learning about these incredible people who came before us and carved out a place for us to exist.

*BCE - Before Common Era

CE- Common Era

(non-religious alternatives to BC and AD)