The Key Factors to Determine the Success of a Civilization 

When evaluating the basic premise upon which any great civilization was built, often there are many subtle similarities. While the specific rise and fall of whichever civilization which is being studied may differ, it has become evident that there are often key environments and circumstances which may play a large role in determining the outcome of the civilization itself. In this specific scenario, I will argue that the Ubaid Period Chiefdoms and Olmec Civilizations possessed similar outstanding factors which aided in their influence and success in regard to their civilizations.

Despite the fact that their regions and time periods differed, the leaders of the Ubaid of Mesopotamia and the Olmec of Mesoamerica both utilized and manipulated their political, religious and economic power in order to advance their authority and legitimatize their rule over the span of their civilization’s respective history.

Although a lack of insight as to how both the Ubaid and Olmec people lived considering a lack of preservation of the pasts of these civilizations, archeologists have determined that political authority played a significant role in the dominance of both civilizations.

Interestingly, both areas were built over by new civilizations, the Babylonian and Sumerian cities, but the remaining architecture and emphasis on certain city centers proves that the leaders of each respective area put a large emphasis on the political authority and the tradition and sacredness of so. The Olmec civilization is a relatively old civilization, considering the fact that it not only was the first civilization of Mesoamerica, but was created nearly eight centuries ago.

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Due to how ancient this civilization truly is, there is often frustration in attempting to learn more, but what archeologists have found regarding their political structures are significant. Besides finding significant objects made of precious stones such as basalt and jade, archeologists have discovered structures that were clearly used as ceremonial structures.

These structures have actually been found in both the Olmec and Ubaid areas which is not only allows use to understand that each civilization put an emphasis on some type of large gathering area, but that some of the greatest civilizations put an emphasis on these centers. While these centers were often used for faith, the promises that the political leaders made to those who built these centers are actually quite similar to the political promises that we hear today. In a return for building these centers, leaders assured people that they would have a place to practice their religious ceremonies. So, while they may have done little actual work to put these centers in place, the leaders of both the Olmec and Ubaid gained great legitimacy by supporting and sponsoring the building of these structures. For a person of these civilizations to know that they have a place to practice their religion that was the product of a political leader gave these leaders great authority to then act upon other issues with the support of their people.

Unsurprisingly, religion played an extremely significant role in both civilizations as the religious leaders of each respective area expected a certain level of devotion and loyalty of the people which in turn drastically increased their influence. In both areas, the religious centers described above provided for mass areas of worship and practices which unified the people, who were all predominantly religious to some extent, under similar beliefs, values and motives. While the Olmec communities were thought to be in existence around 1000 B.C., nearly 300 years before the Ubaid, the continuity in the archeological findings and the significance of religious structures are telling in the influence that religion played for people of both civilizations.

The control that the religious leader had because of the large centers they were able to express their ideology in gave them a very significant platform in influencing all types of people, for example the workers that created these centers are thought to have put so much effort into them because of the devotion they had to their religion, the leaders and the belief that this will proved a sacred place to practice their rituals. The polytheism in both cavillations also gave way to a numerous amount of god’s that all played significant roles in an individual’s life, ultimately giving religion a large realm of influence as it affected every aspect of these individuals lives.

The involvement of both civilizations in trade aided them in their success even though the trade was not actually directly influenced by political leaders. To an extent, in both civilizations trade was controlled by an alit group of individuals providing as almost a check of power on both political and religious leaders. This direct economic involvement of the people really gave a forum as to what was needed by the people and not desired by the government. The Olmec people recognized their lack of surplus in items that areas of the Gulf Coast could provide such as hard stones and salt which led them to form a significant trade route and relationship. Similarly, the economic influencers of Ubaid were often involved in trade and the trade relationships between areas. While the political leaders of both civilizations held great power and influence, land owners also had great influence in both areas as similarly to many great civilizations both ancient and modern, the capacity of land that is held can often equate to power. This kind of distribution of power on three fronts, political economic and social, all played significant roles in the unity of the civilizations.

With the little archeological evidence found regarding the people of the Olmec and Ubaid civilizations, what is evident is the influence that political, economic and religious leaders had on the people. The individual success of each civilization may have played out in different ways, in different lands, with different people and at different times, but is clear that their influence in these realms are key to the success of a legitimate civilizations as with many following civilizations as well.