A civilization is a complex society of specialized workers who produce a wide variety of goods for trade. It also features a sophisticated division of labor, centralized government planning and hereditary monarchy. Its secondary elements include advanced transportation systems, writing, standardized measurement and currency, legal and contractual systems, art, architecture, mathematics, scientific understanding, metallurgy and more. Civilization is often contrasted with savagery and barbarism, and historians have tried to identify what it is that sets a society apart as “civilized” from those that are not.
The term was first used in the ancient world to distinguish people who lived in cities from those who lived as nomadic hunter-gatherers, or as part of small tribal groups. It was later adopted by Western scholars, who viewed it as evidence of progress. Today, anthropologists are working to find value-free ways to classify human societies.
Early civilizations were built around cities, which could not have existed without a large population living close together. These cities needed to be protected from both internal and external threats, which required political leaders. They also needed to be supplied with food and water, which required an urban planning system. In addition, the city dwellers required a large variety of goods for trade. This meant that the people who lived in cities had to develop a broad range of skills and work specialties. This led to a hierarchy of different jobs and roles within the culture, including priests, soldiers, craftsmen, and merchants.
In addition to city life, the earliest civilizations were typically unified by religion. This is because religious beliefs and behaviors dealt with the meaning of life, which gave them a common ground that helped bring the different people who lived in these communities together. Early religious leadership was often centered in the cities, with hereditary monarchs (called pharaohs) who practiced divine kingship, claiming to be representatives or even incarnations of gods.
Other important developments in the development of civilization include agricultural advancements that allowed food surpluses to be produced. This meant that people no longer had to spend all their time looking for food and, therefore, had more time to develop specialized jobs. It also meant that hereditary monarchs could concentrate on the production and protection of the economy rather than waging war against their neighbors. Lastly, the invention of writing enabled people to record their ideas and information for future generations. All of these advances contributed to the evolution of civilization.