A civilization is an advanced state of human society that has reached a high level of culture, science, industry, and government. It is characterized by shared institutions, including a state-based system of decision making, a literature, professional art and architecture, and organized religion. In popular usage, the word civilization is used to denote an idealized state that represents progress and that people should strive for. In archeological, anthropological and historical terms, it is more accurate to think of civilization as a way of life that exists at a certain point in history.
The earliest forms of civilization are associated with the development of agriculture and the emergence of city-states, which were characterized by a large population living in close proximity to each other. The increased density of the settlements enabled a division of labor that made possible the production of surplus food. This food could then be offered in trade with other communities, facilitating long-distance commerce. In addition, the rudimentary form of government that worked well with small communities was replaced by a more structured and centralized system that permitted a hierarchy of leaders and a more complex set of rules for the behavior of citizens.
Civilizations were also characterized by a wide range of cultural activities, from the manufacture and preservation of stone monuments to the development of sophisticated writing systems. This rich cultural heritage makes studying the history of civilizations a fascinating and rewarding endeavor.
Many early societies were considered to be civilizations, from the hunter-gatherers of Gobekli Tepe 11,000 years ago to the sedentary Jomon inhabitants of Japan in the fourteenth through sixteenth centuries CE. But a definition of civilization must be carefully applied to the societies of the ancient world.
Anthropologists have debated how to define a civilization, and they have come up with a variety of lists of traits that are believed to be necessary for such a definition. The problem with constructing a checklist for civilizations is that it often reflects the judgment and perspective of the person who writes it. This can obscure important aspects of the societies that are being studied.
For example, in his book Civilization and Barbarism, anthropologist Joseph Childe described other forms of human society as “savagery” and “barbarism.” This term suggests that a civilization is the opposite of savagery or barbarism, but it also implies a value judgment about which there is much debate.
Scholars now understand that different cultures developed in a variety of ways, and it is no longer possible to draw firm conclusions about which were the first true civilizations. However, it is still important to try to understand how towns and cities grew into the civilizations that we recognize as such today. By applying a framework of the characteristics that are thought to be essential for a civilization, scholars can make informed and reasonable comparisons between different types of prehistoric human societies. This will help them better understand how the ancient world came to be as it was.