1. a society based on the cultivation of crops, raising of livestock, and building of towns and cities. 2. also, a group of people who have become more advanced in culture and technology than other groups are.
Throughout history, civilizations have made many important discoveries in art, science, religion, and political systems. They have enriched human culture and improved the lives of people everywhere. Yet, some scholars argue that human civilization is flawed and self-destructive. Others disagree and say that the benefits of civilization far outweigh any negatives.
Civilization is generally defined as the development of a culture that leads to and emerges from the growth of cities. The word civilization comes from the Latin civitas, which means “city.” The earliest cities are considered to be the first civilizations. People in these ancient settlements grew to live together in densities high enough to require the routine importation of food and other resources from the surrounding area.
The early settlers developed a variety of tools to help them grow crops and create durable housing, including bricks, pottery, metal, and wood. These new tools allowed them to cultivate fields and produce crops on a large scale that enabled them to support larger groups of people than would have been possible as hunter-gatherers. Eventually, they developed sophisticated musical and literary arts. They also refined their use of language, which enables them to communicate with one another over long distances and in a way that is readable and understood by other members of the community.
In addition, the earliest civilizations also developed elaborate systems of farming and water management. They developed a calendar that tracked the changing seasons and the passing of time, and they began to record events in stone. They even designed the pyramids, an enduring symbol of their achievement. They also invented the cubit, a unit of measurement based on the length of a human arm. The ancient Egyptians were among the greatest civilizers, but they also had many flaws.
Most big historians accept the notion that a civilization is a complex mixture of positive and negative traits. The negative aspects include a system of governance that is often based on coercion rather than consensus and, as the world’s population continues to grow, the need to constantly import food and other supplies from the rest of the world. The positive traits, however, may be less obvious. These positive attributes include a system of law that promotes justice and the rule of law. They also include a set of moral values that encourages respect for others and for nature. These are essential to the survival of any civilization. A racial or religious prejudice, for example, can be detrimental to the progress of a civilization. For these reasons, some scholars have criticized the use of the term “civilization” to describe certain cultures. The term has been criticized for excluding other cultures and for implying that they are not as developed or advanced as Western civilizations.