The First Civilizations of North America (Essay Sample)

Before Columbus: The First Civilizations of North America
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Before Columbus: The First Civilizations of North America
THE FIRST CIVILIZATIONS OF NORTH AMERICA – A society must meet three criteria as established by European explorers to be considered civilized – that is, have a clearly defined event, have a record of who identified it, and prove when it began. For instance, scientists have considered Earth to have formed about 6 billion years ago, while human-like creatures are considered by scientists to have emerged about 5 million years ago (Davidson, 2018). ELEMENTS OF CIVILIZATION – A civilized culture must meet five criteria: they must have such settlements as a city or urban dwelling and have technology that enables change and progress. They must also demonstrate the ability to write or use some form of symbolic communication, have established long-distance trade capabilities, and believe in one God, that is, be monotheists. ARCHEOLOGICAL DIVISIONS OF EARLY CULTURES – early cultures fall into different classifications. The criteria is based on the tools used in ancient human civilizations, the old stone age, the new, advanced, or improved stone age, and the bronze, tin, or copper ages. In Latin America, three civilizations, the Maya, Aztecs, and the Inca thrived until the Europeans’ discovery in the sixteenth century. THE MAYA – This civilization existed between 500BCE and 900CE in the Yucatan peninsula of Southern Mexico, current Guatemala (Davidson, 2018). They lived in large cities exceeding 200,000 people, had developed writing and mathematics abilities, and practiced astrology. Although the Europeans did not encounter the Maya in the sixteenth century, they found out the Maya had developed a calendar for counting days and rituals. THE AZTECS – had advanced war strategies and weapons as the