Dawn of Civilization
Basis of civilization is technological innovation The difference between western civilization and others is the smelting of metals and the wheel and availability of draft animals. Smelting of metals is perhaps the most important innovation of all, differentiating the western Civilization from all others. ... A second evidence of western civilization arising in the mountains of Armenia is the presence of the wheel, and wheeled vehicles. ... The Ark Even in Biblical mythology, the locus of civilization is implied in the story of Noah’s Ark. ... The Sumerians believed that civilization had started here, in the highlands, and spread south, due in part to their ancestors fleeing a flood, and settling in Mesopotamia from the Highlands. ... This proves that Noah’s Ark is not to be taken literally, but an analogy representing the beginning of civilization in Eastern Anatolia. The Ark landing on the mountains of Armenia/Ararat if taken from the legend can be inferred as the locus of civilization. ... Just as civilization existed before the Ark, the same can be said for society. ... It was not the physical destruction of the people, but the cultural assimilation that resulted from western civilization. ... The Ark doesn’t represent an actual boat, but it’s an analogy to the Anatolian Highland refuge that lead, not only to survival of the Black Sea people, but the expansion of civilization to all areas of the known world.