The Urban Revolution Analysis

In “the Urban Revolution”, Gordon Childe identifies ten specific criteria in a process that he believes transforms villages and defines a city, civilization, or society. It is through this process that we can easily categorize and compare settlements and cities from ancient times. Two of these criteria, social stratification and occupational specialization, address important aspects of any civilization, such as the existence of specialists in fields like politics and religion. These aspects are two that come up particularly in the Neolithic and Bronze ages, shaping how the future of civilization would unfold. In particular, it has set up a lasting effect on architecture and civil planning, conflict and war between cities, and specialization …show more content…
At Jericho the chief was responsible for the maintenance of defense for the city. The concentration on this fact helped Jericho weather attacks from foreign peoples, leaving a long legacy of civilization behind. In terms of religion, we speculate the formation of cult-like groups from the discovery of the plaster covered skulls. These skulls were likely the skulls of their ancestors, and likely played a large role in their system of religious beliefs. Found at important locations within the homes, it is conceivable that the residents of Jericho felt conscious about their connection with the dead. For Egypt, we can see that both politics and religion were closely entwined within one another. The leader was god-like, all powerful. A stark change from the humble origins of a village chief. Backed with the belief of his relation to the gods, the Pharaoh held massive amounts of power over the common people, creating a divide between the upper and lower classes. This social stratification differs greatly from that of Jericho. In Mycenae, this social stratification differs yet again, though there is a clear hierarchy in which everyone fell under. This was managed by the bureaucrats at the central palace. Using thorough record keeping, politics were used to successfully optimize labor and land. While religion was also an important part of Mycenaean life, it was not as definitive in leadership as the depiction of the Pharaoh. In conclusion, we can see that as civilization reached and continued these steps within “the Urban Revolution”, the more importance was placed on involved leadership and widespread religious appeal and acceptance. Politics and religion could be said to define much of the growth and cohesion of these ancient