Societies {agrarian society} {agricultural society} cultivated plants, had metallurgy, and used plows. Agrarian societies had houses, pottery, leather, and weaving. Simple agricultural societies began 5000 years ago. Advanced agrarian societies appeared 3000 years ago.
grains
Agrarian societies grew cereal grains and typically had agricultural surpluses. Food increase allowed more people to live and allowed some people not to have to farm.
exchange
Agrarian societies first developed means of exchange. Wheat in Egypt and barley in Mesopotamia were the first means of exchange, because grains are preservable. Later, exchange used metal bars and coins. Means of exchange led to merchant class.
writing
Writing developed to keep economic records. Cuneiform writing used 600 to 1000 characters. Only nobles and rich learned how to write.
cities
Cities formed. Communities and villages had 3000 to 10000 people. Some cities had over 100,000 people by 2500 years ago.
classes
Advanced agrarian societies developed classes, from dichotomies between peasants and rulers, people in cities and villages, and literate and illiterate people. Urban people, literate people, and rulers merged into a superior class, with respect for war, skill, and information but contempt for physical labor. Rulers had strong power.
army
Advanced agrarian societies developed professional armies, with up to 5000 men, starting 4500 years ago. Military caste began. Armies sometimes used mercenaries. Kings controlled armies, who also acted as police. War was common.
bureaucracy
In advanced agrarian societies, king's household and retained officials and scribes formed a bureaucracy. Formal legal systems developed. There were many laws. Private property was a major concept.
slaves
Agrarian societies often had slaves.
games
Agrarian societies had games of chance, and later, games of strategy.
gender
Getting money, making weapons, making tools, politics, religion, and art were male activities. Collecting and preparing vegetables and caring for children were female activities. In agrarian societies, men cultivated because they had the physical strength needed to plow. After harvest, men waged war.
kinship
In agrarian societies, kinship was through males.
religion
Religion was central to agrarian societies. Agrarian peoples believed in active gods. Gods created people to serve them, so they could have leisure to perform their activities. Humans were to supply gods with food, drink, and shelter. Priests mediated with gods, whom people can anger and who can cause ruin. In Egypt, pharaoh was god, but, in Mesopotamia, king was under god. Thus, religion motivated people to have and set aside surpluses, and governments imposed taxes to take part. Religion helped rulers get more surplus goods, to build things and to make war. Magic was part of religion.
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Date Modified: 2022.0224