Preview
Preview: Season 1 | 30sVideo has Closed Captions
Explore the seedbed civilizations of Mesoamerica, the Middle East and the Indus Valley.
Explore the seedbed civilizations of Mesoamerica, the Middle East and the Indus Valley to learn how and why early humans, who had been mobile foragers, created villages, towns, cities and states, establishing the blueprint for the modern world.
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
Preview
Preview: Season 1 | 30sVideo has Closed Captions
Explore the seedbed civilizations of Mesoamerica, the Middle East and the Indus Valley to learn how and why early humans, who had been mobile foragers, created villages, towns, cities and states, establishing the blueprint for the modern world.
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
How to Watch First Civilizations
First Civilizations is available to stream on pbs.org and the free PBS App, available on iPhone, Apple TV, Android TV, Android smartphones, Amazon Fire TV, Amazon Fire Tablet, Roku, Samsung Smart TV, and Vizio.
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Preview: S1 | 30s | Explore the seedbed civilizations of Mesoamerica, the Middle East and the Indus Valley. (30s)
Video has Closed Captions
Clip: Ep4 | 3m 13s | Archaeologist Jeff Rose examines the history of a petroglyph in Oman. (3m 13s)
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Clip: Ep4 | 2m 37s | The merchant’s seal was a guarantee of quality goods. (2m 37s)
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Clip: Ep4 | 2m 41s | Explore the splendor of the Indus Valley civilization. (2m 41s)
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Preview: Ep4 | 30s | Examine the civilizing effect of trade. (30s)
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Clip: Ep3 | 3m 29s | Explore the rise of inequality and threat of dictatorship. (3m 29s)
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Clip: Ep3 | 3m 13s | Humans are social creatures. Evolutionary Psychologist Michael Muthukrishna explains. (3m 13s)
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Preview: Ep3 | 30s | Investigate why cities were so integral to the rise of civilization. (30s)
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Clip: Ep2 | 3m 42s | Explore how rituals bring people together. (3m 42s)
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Clip: Ep2 | 3m | Nabta Playa became a religious monument where people could gather and worship. (3m)
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Clip: Ep2 | 2m 22s | In Ancient Egypt, at the site of Nekhen, kings were recognized as living gods. (2m 22s)
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Preview: Ep2 | 30s | Learn why every successful civilization needs a narrative — a shared set of beliefs. (30s)
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Clip: Ep1 | 2m 36s | Oaxaca Valley became an area of conflict as raiding occurred between villages. (2m 36s)
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Clip: Ep1 | 3m 32s | Explore the power of obsidian weapons and their use in Teotihuacan. (3m 32s)
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Clip: Ep1 | 2m 50s | Archaeologist Yuki Huada explores the history of San Jose Mogote. (2m 50s)
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