ABSTRACT
In Mesopotamia (Iraq), agriculture is developed, a long wi th the first large farming sett lements, later to grow into cities. Civilization, wi th its high levels of organizat ion, stratification, and division of labor, will follow. POL
The earliest known cemetery in Nor th America is dug in wha t will become Arkansas. Tools bur ied with the deceased indicate belief in an afterlife. In Africa abou t this t ime, red ocher is sprinkled o n the dead in their graves, REL
Skulls of deceased ancestors, wi th flesh mode led in plaster and shells in eye sockets, may be used in ancestor worship in the Levant. REL
Shrines, decorated wi th paint ings a n d figures of an imals a n d w o m e n , are bui l t in southern Anatolia (Turkey). REL
At Mehrgarh , west of t he Indus Valley, funerary offerings, i nc lud ing gems, are buried with the dead. REL
-5900-The Ubaid culture of Mesopotamia (Iraq) builds temples containing altars, REL -3100 -5500 By now, agriculture, with its shift to a more settled way of life than hunting and
gathering, has developed independently or been introduced from outside in parts of Europe, China, South Asia, and the Americas. REL
- 5 0 0 0 - In the predynast ic per iod in Egypt, sculptors carve mono l i th i c figures and clay -3100 figurines of gods. Funerary offerings often include sculptures, pottery, and
weapons . REL
-4500 C o m m u n a l burial places known as megalithic chamber tombs are buil t in northern and western Europe. REL
- 4 3 0 0 - During the Uruk period in Mesopotamia (Iraq) , Sumerian city-states such as -3100 Uruk (or Erech) take shape. Relying on extensive canal systems for irrigation
and on trade networks for supply of raw materials, the city-states have complex political and economic dimensions, reflected in the development of systems of accounting, law, and writing. The latter, known as cuneiform, consists of wedge-shaped signs on clay tablets. POL
- 4 3 0 0 - In Mesopotamia (Iraq), the authority of the political ruler of the city-state of -3100 Uruk is reinforced by his association with the goddess of love and war, Inanna.
