The ENTIRE History of Human Civilizations | Ancient to Modern (4K Documentary) [Full Movie] – Transcript

00:00- [Narrator] The history of our story began long ago. (dramatic music) At one point in time, around 3 billion years ago, we were floating around as little tiny atoms in the little Petri dish of the world.

00:18Fast forward to around 6 million years ago, and we see the emergence of the first hominids, the family of primates that include humans. 1.9 million years ago, homoerectus was the first species to leave Africa and colonize other parts of the world.

00:36They had larger brains than their primate ancestors. Around 400,000 years ago, the first evidence of the Neanderthals, their bodies were adapted to the cold environments of Europe and Western Asia. Their distinctive facial features were some of the most human-like ever seen.

00:56Then came us, the only surviving species of the homo genus. But how did homo sapiens rise into a global dominance through the mechanism of civilization? (dramatic music) We begin our story in the fertile lands of Mesopotamia in 4,000 BCE, nestled between the great Tigris and Euphrates rivers

01:26and the Sumerian city of Uruk. Instead of relying on hunting and gathering like our ancestors of the past, the citizens of Uruk were able to develop a way to harvest cereal grains like wheat and barley. However, turning cereal grains into edible foods took a lot of work.

01:44In the beginning, they had to use an invention called a hand mill, which consisted of two stones. As the grains were crushed between the two stones, the flour was collected in a container and stored for future use. This was the start of something great.

02:00This complex strenuous process was our modern world's first example of agriculture. We no longer depended on hunting animals or picking berries for our food. Rather than using human ingenuity, we can create our own food source.

02:16This allowed Uruk to prosper into a place with over 50,000 residents. However, this change did have a change on the human body. The average height of men drastically shrunk from five foot nine to five foot three, and for women, they shrunk on average from five foot, three to five feet.

02:36Instead of being the super athletes we were of the past, we were smaller, less noticeable farmers. People also became landlocked, changing the very essence of what it means to be human. In the early 3000 BCE, according to legend, King Gilgamesh began his rule as a Sumerian king of his region.

02:57However, by the end of 3000, BCE, the Acadians ousted the Sumerians. Sargon the Great took power and conquered all of Sumeria. While in the Indus Valley in modern day Pakistan, a new civilization was growing.

03:18The Indus Valley civilization, 3300 to 1300 BCE was most notable for its highly advanced toilet system. The toilets were built with a seat and a chute that led to the underground drainage system. The sewage was then carried away from the homes through a network of covered drains, preventing disease spread.

03:38The waste was treated and disposed outside of city limits, helping to keep the cities clean and hygienic. While in Egypt, they were more consumed with building pyramids than basic human plumbing.

03:54This was because in ancient Egyptian religion, it was believed that when a Pharaoh was to die in the physical world, his spirit would continue to live on in the afterlife in which they would continue to rule in perpetuity and where they would be worshiped by the living.

04:10Inside these pyramids, the Pharaoh's body was carefully mummified. A process believed to preserve his physical form and help ensure his spirit's journey to the afterlife. The pyramid was also filled with offerings and treasures intended to provide the Pharaoh with the resources he would need in the afterlife.

04:29Every Pharaoh wanted to make sure they were immortal. They wanted to succeed in the afterlife. They wanted to be worshiped forever. That's why it was an utmost priority for Egyptian Pharaohs to build pyramids for themselves when laid to rest.

04:44It started when Pharaoh Djoser, 2667 to 2648, BCE, built the Step Pyramid at Saqqara, followed by Sneferu, 2613 to 2589 BCE, who built several pyramids such as the Bent Pyramid and the Red Pyramid.

05:02Then came the Pharaoh Khufu, 2589 to 2566 BCE, who built the famous Great Pyramid of Giza in a labor intensive 20 year process, one that the world still marvels at today.

05:17Khufu was then followed by Pharaohs Khafre and Mekaure who built these slightly smaller second and third pyramids of Giza respectively. While over in China in the year 2100 BCE, the first Chinese dynasty was upon us.

05:38Like the people of Mesopotamia, the Chinese were ever reliant on agriculture, producing rice, wheat, and barley among other crops. However, as legend has it, the Yellow River flooded. These massive floods would destroy all the crops leading to massive famine and suffering.

05:56However, not all was to be lost because Yu The Great was on his way. Yu was so distraught by this problem that he would spend his days traveling up and down the Yellow River. He found ways to divert the rivers by building levies and dikes so that he could regulate the waterways.

06:14Then after 13 years of hard work, the floods could no longer wreak havoc on the land. The people were overjoyed and Yu was hailed as a savior. That was the start of the first Chinese dynasty, the Xia Dynasty.

06:30Though the accuracy of this tale is questioned by historians, it does establish an important precedent. The idea is that power ought to follow one's merit. An individual who deserves absolute power shall have absolute power. This idea would shape the world for years to come and cause the people of ancient China to follow him to create the first ever Chinese dynasty.

07:01While back over in Mesopotamia around 1772, BCE, a Babylonian king named King Hammurabi created the basis of the legal system as we know it today, Hammurabi ordered the creation of a seven foot tall, two foot wide stone slab.

07:19Written on it was a system of 282 laws that each citizen of his kingdom was to follow. Such laws included various laws such as law one, if a man brings an accusation against another man, charging him with murder, but cannot prove it, the accuser shall be put to death.

07:38Law 196, if a man destroys the eye of another man, they shall destroy his eye. Law 197 says, if he breaks another man's bone, they shall break it. Law 199, if he destroys the eye of a man's slave or breaks the bone of a man's slave, he shall pay one half his price.

07:59However, what King Hammurabi did was create a society based on laws. He laid out strict laws, placing people into certain casts of life and value. Everyone was worth a different amount based on what class they were in society. There was no illusion of equality in ancient Babylon.

08:17Instead, it was pretty clear the value of a noble's bone was worth more than a plebeian's which in turn was worth more than a slave's. An idea we continue to see throughout history. While in modern day Turkey, a lesser known civilization came to power, the Hittites' Empire under the charismatic rule of the leader, Labarnas, 1680 to 1650 BCE,

08:47he was a skilled ruler with a single vision in mind. Uniting the Hittite city states under a single rule. Labarnas led his army from city to city, conquering neighboring city states and making alliances with their leaders. He was a shrewd diplomat and he used his diplomatic skills to win over the hearts and minds of the people.

09:08Eventually, Labarnas became the ruler of all the Hittite city states and established the empire. He was a just and fair ruler and was loved by his people. Under his rule, the Hittites prospered and their territory expanded, leaving them right next to their neighbors in Egypt.

09:32While in modern day Greece, a collection of city states emerged on the European continent, Mycenean Greece, 1600 BCE to 1100 BCE was dominated by an elite warrior society and consisted of a network of palace centered states that developed rigid, hierarchical political, social, and economic systems.