An advanced state of human society in which a high level of culture, science, industry and government has been reached. Civilization also refers to the people or groups that have reached this state.
The concept of civilization has a number of different meanings, but one of the most common is that of a complex society in which large numbers of people live together peacefully in cities and work cooperatively to meet their needs. This definition reflects the importance of the social aspects of civilization, in contrast to more technical or scientific definitions which emphasize a specific technology or an industrial base.
Among the most significant events in the evolution of civilizations were the emergence of tools and social organization, the development of a symbolic culture, and the invention of language, first spoken and then written. The first organized societies, or civilizations, formed from the band-level groups of hunter-gatherers that were characteristic of prehistoric human life. These early societies were unified by religion, which was often a means of strengthening bonds between individuals in a group and between members of a family or clan. Religious leaders often acted as political rulers and claimed to be representatives or even human incarnations of gods.
A second major event was the development of agriculture, which allowed the growing of crops to supply the food needed for larger populations. This facilitated the growth of cities and led to the formation of governments and social hierarchies. In some cases, these political and religious structures consolidated the power of ruling families or groups over broader regions and populations. A third factor was the creation of economic systems that made it possible for people to make and trade goods and services. This enabled civilizations to develop more sophisticated cultural expressions, such as music, art and literature.
Because people could now devote more time to other activities, they also developed the capacity to store and communicate information by writing. This enabled them to write down their beliefs and traditions, so that these stories could be preserved for future generations. In addition, civilizations began to have a growing interest in mathematics and astronomy, resulting in the creation of monumental structures like the pyramids and the development of complex mathematical theories.
It may seem surprising that humans took so long to reach the point of civilization, compared with other animals. But it is important to remember that natural selection does not operate on such short time scales. The emergence of civilization was probably due to cultural factors that evolved much faster than genetics, such as norm-governed language and the development of symbolic thought.
A key reason for the onset of civilization is that the geographical conditions in many areas were favorable to intensive agricultural cultivation. In addition, the ability to produce surplus food allowed people to specialize in non-agricultural jobs and to create higher social classes that were more likely to support urban centers of culture. Eventually, these cities became states, with their own political and religious structures and a more centralized economy.