Name ______________________________________________ Date ______________________ Period ________________

Civilized or Not Civilized? That is the Question.

Man first appeared on earth during a period of time known as the Stone Age. The Stone
Age began about two million years ago and ended about 5000 years ago. Most of earliest man’s
time was spent looking for food. He ate fish, animals, fruit, nuts and roots. The people did not
know how to grow crops and raise animals.

During the Stone Age, man’s intelligence gradually increased. As his brain developed, he
became smarter than any animal on earth. Eventually, spoken languages were invented and
people spent more time in groups than they spent as individuals. Tools were made from wood,
bone and stone. The spear, needle, and fishhook were invented later when metals were used to
create the tools. This started the Copper Age. In time, man learned to control fire and develop art
and have religious beliefs.

Other advances occurred as the Stone Age neared its end. Finally, almost 5000 years ago,
people devised a system of writing. It was about then that the Stone Age ended and “civilization”
began. “Civilization” is a period during which man has made many significant advances in ways
of living.

Civilized societies have certain characteristics, which prehistoric Stone Age societies did
not have:
 
1.  Urban society:  Living together in communities.
2.  Religion:  Beliefs that provide answers to “unanswerable” questions.
3.  Literacy:  The ability to read and write.
4.  Government:  Having a set of rules, leaders or organization to society
5.  Specialization:  Using unique skills to benefit all.
6.  Social classes:  Groups of people with common characteristics.
7.  Tool-making:  The ability to problem-solve.
8.  Concept of time: Understanding of patterns like the seasons, sunrise
and sunset or tides can be used to your benefit.
9.  Leisure:  Recognizing the value of the arts and entertainment.
10. Education/criticism:  Striving to improve as an individual or as a
culture.
 
The first civilizations on earth grew up in Egypt and Mesopotamia – two areas near the
Mediterranean Sea. In Egypt, civilization arose along the Nile River; in Mesopotamia, along the
Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. Both of these civilizations had the characteristics listed above.

We know about the people of ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia because of the work of
“anthropologists” and “archaeologists”. Anthropologists are people who study early man’s ways
of living. They try to learn about such things as man’s customs, eating habits, family patterns,
religion, art, and government. Archaeologists search for and study “artifacts” – like tools,
weapons, and pottery, which were created by people of long ago. Artifacts are often found in
caves, on sites where settlements once were located, and in graves. By studying these remains,
archaeologists can learn about the ways of living of early man.
Name ______________________________________________ Date ______________________ Period ________________
Pretend you are an archaeologist living in the year 5000 C.E. You have just found the coin
pictured below. Assume you have never seen the coin before, that you have never heard of the
United States, and that you know nothing at all about the people who made the coin. Pretend the
coin is an artifact, which was found on a site where people lived thousands of years ago. This
artifact is the only source of information available about these people.

As an archaeologist, it is your job to draw conclusions about the people who made the
above coin. Briefly describe these people and their ways of living based on information found on
the coin. You may want to refer to the ten characteristics of a civilized society, which appear on
page one. Try to list at least 10 short descriptions.

1. They would have had some type of leader

2. This is what early humans might have looked like
3. They knew how to work with metal in such advance ways for that time
4. That the tail of the coin might how old houses looked like
5. that the coin is worth a lot
6. that the coins was made in 2002
7. and that is was made in the mint s
8. coins was the only currency
9. that head was a “god” in 2002
10. maybe the “good was good

Were the people who made this coin from a civilized or uncivilized society? Explain your answer.
They were most likely civilized, because that coin is too hard tomake by hand and it whould take
a lot of exp in metal works