University of Babylon
College of Arts
The Department of Archaeology
Second Year
The Course: Readings in Archaeology
Lecture No. 20
Text No. Three
“Civilization in the Middle East”
1. Read the following Passage carefully:
Introduction
It is the opinion of most archaeologists that civiliztion first developed in the Middle East, where, of all regions of the world, natural conditions offered the greatest assistance to man in his changeover (transition, upheaval; conversion) from a life of nomadic wondering as a hunter to settled occupation of the soil. The regular rise of the three larger rivers, Nile, Euphrates, and Tigris; annual (occurring once a year) renewal of the soil fertility by the deposition of a layer of silt (fine particles of sand and other earthy matter which are carried and deposited by water); the generally worm climate, favourable both to the growth of a rich plant life, and to the activities of man himself, were all special inducements (motivatives) to the adoption of a way of life based on agrculture.
2. Comprehension Exercise
a) Answer the following questions as fully as possible:
1. Where did civilization first develop?
2. What offered the greatest assistance to man in his changeover from a life of nomadic wondering as a hunter to settled occupation of the soil?
3. What were the special inducements to the adoption of a way of life based on agriculture?
b) Give the meanings of the following words as they are used in this passage. Use an English/ English dictionary:
“opinion, conditions, based on, factors, settle, favourable, adoption”
3. Archaeological Definitions
It is supposed that the following two definitions are to be studied well and then memorized. You are also advised to translate them into Arabic.
A. Homo Sapiens
It is the scientific name for modern man, the most highly developed product of evolution. The first most typical example in Europe is Cro-Magnon Man. Men of our own kind are different from other species of Primates in having a completely erect skeleton, lighter bones, and brains which have developed in different areas, giving them improved powers of reasonong.
B. Holocene Epoch
It means “wholly recent or modern”. It refers to the years from c. 8000 B.C. up to the present times, which saw man changing from s hunting, food-gathering creature to a member of a highly organized state of society known as a civilization. The Holocene Epoch is the most recent part ot the Cenozoic Era.
Final Note: Always write your anwers as neatly as possible and with full punctuation.
Good Luck
The Lecturer: Mr. Baqir Jasim Mohammed