Civilization is a complex way of life that has certain characteristics such as cities, a form of government, and religions. It also has a well-developed culture and art, defined social structures, record keeping, education, and advanced technologies. However, the concept of civilization is difficult to define because it is subjective and depends on the context. Civilizations can develop differently in different places and times and may disappear from the world just as quickly as they appeared.
Anthropologists have debated the definition of civilization for decades. For many years anthropologists believed that civilization was a step forward from more primitive societies, like hunter-gatherers and tribal peoples. Anthropologists used terms such as “savagery” and “barbarism” to describe non-civilized societies. Then the 1960’s brought changes to the anthropological field. Anthropologists began to drop the assumption that civilization was a positive thing and to focus on objective, value-free ways of classifying and comparing human societies.
The first steps toward a society being considered a civilization were the formation of groups that were larger than families or tribes. These early groups were called bands and they consisted of a group of 25-60 individuals related by family and marriage ties. Bands could range in size from a small village to a large empire that stretched across the globe.
A significant change in these societies came with the invention of agriculture. Agriculture enabled a food surplus which allowed for specialization in work and the development of political groups. Specialization allowed people to spend less time on getting food and more time on crafts, arts, and other activities. This freed up more brains and hands to create and perform the various tasks of a complex society, which is what we now call civilization.
This complex society led to the development of a more organized religious practice and political groups. The development of large cities, a central urban area where most of the population lives, is another feature of civilization. These cities are usually built along rivers to enable easy access to water and other natural resources. As these cities grew, they became culturally distinct from the rural areas that surround them and had their own languages, customs, and beliefs.
With the development of cities and a central population, a need for a system of government emerged. Civilizations need to have rules and laws to keep order. This need also spawned religions to provide guidance for the people. The presence of religion and rules also helped to reinforce social hierarchies that made it possible for political and religious leaders to make decisions that affected all the people in a civilization, such as whether to go to war.
Today, the word “civilization” is used to describe many human societies that developed around the world. Some, like the Inca of Peru from 1438 to 1533 CE, were highly developed with a strong government and defined social hierarchy and impressive art and architecture. Others, such as the Kingdom of Zimbabwe centered in Great Zimbabwe (c. 1100 to c. 1500) and the Yoruba of West Africa (c. 500 to c. 900) were not recognized as civilized at the time, but now are widely accepted as such.