A civilization is a group of people who have reached a high level of culture, science, industry, and government. Civilization also refers to the act of civilizing, which means bringing out of a savage or unrefined state: He was a member of a civilization of barbarian tribes.
Although civilizations vary widely in the details of their cultures, some essential facets are recognized by most historians and archaeologists: a developed division of labor, urbanization, written language, metallurgy, mathematics, scientific understanding, organization of religion, and political structures. Some of these facets are often difficult to define and can be contested by scholars.
The development of civilizations began with the growth of agricultural societies, which produced surplus food and allowed a variety of activities to be pursued by different groups within society. In general, such societies were located near rivers or lakes for their water supply. The early societies of Mesopotamia, Egypt, and China all flourished in river valleys.
Once food could be stored and sold, it was possible to create cities. Cities provided the foundation for all of the other facets of civilization, such as organized religion, art, and a complex division of labor. In addition, it became necessary to develop a writing system in order to record agreements and transactions, and metallurgy allowed the creation of tools and metal objects for use in the daily life of the people.
Writing and metallurgy allow for the spread of ideas among a population. In this way, civilizations can influence and even change the world around them. Civilizations can also be a source of enlightenment and knowledge, as the ancient Greeks demonstrated.
One important feature of any civilization is the emergence of a central, centralized power structure. For example, Rome was a powerful, sprawling empire that required effective management and administration to rule so many people. Civilizations also tend to develop a wide variety of art forms. This was especially true of the prehistoric cave paintings in southern France and northern Spain, which are thought to be more than 30,000 years old.
Most modern definitions of a civilization include a sophisticated transportation system, standardized measurement, currency, contractual and tort-based legal systems, artistic, architectural, and mathematical development, a scientific understanding of the natural world, and a formal religion. It is not unreasonable to believe that the facets of civilization will continue to evolve over time, and that future historians may revise the definition to reflect these changes.
Another important aspect of a civilization is its ability to communicate with other people in ways that allow them to share their knowledge and cultural traditions. This is what enables the world to benefit from globalization. It is also what allows us to recognize that although we all belong to a human civilization, our individual cultural identities are far more diverse than ever before. For example, a woman from the United States is part of a Western civilization, but she probably identifies with several other cultures. This is why we need to be careful about imposing our own notions of a “civilized” world upon the rest of the planet.