Civilization is a term that describes a certain type of human community. It is an advanced stage of society where people live with a reasonable level of organization and comfort and can think about things like art, education, and politics. Civilization is defined by five essential facets that most historians agree upon. These facets are complex institutions, cities, writing systems, leadership, and religion. Civilization also requires a level of technology that allows people to achieve some of these facets.
One of the first things that most civilizations did was establish cities. This allowed them to grow into large populations that were too large for the extended family groups that hunter-gatherers usually lived with. These larger groups needed a system of rules to keep order, so leaders and government emerged. Civilizations also developed complex art, allowing people to create things like pottery and jewelry, as well as paint and sculpt. Civilizations also developed a written language so people could communicate over long distances. This was essential to the development of long-distance trade, which is a feature that most historians consider a hallmark of civilization.
Most big historians also consider the development of agriculture a marker of civilization. This is because it allowed for food surpluses that made it possible for people to start specializing in crafts and the arts. Until agriculture, hunter-gatherers had to work all of the time to get enough food to survive. Specialization and leisure activities were not possible in the absence of a reliable food source.
In addition to these specialized occupations, most civilizations developed political and religious organizations that helped to establish the social hierarchies and division of labor. These hierarchies created a distinct class structure within societies where there was a clear difference in status for each person. The elite leaders that ran these systems could make decisions that affected the entire community. They were the ones who had the power to decide whether a community would go to war, for example. Religious leaders held a position of great importance since they could communicate between humans and gods, or at least they thought they did.
It should be noted that not all civilizations developed cities, and some did not develop any of the other features we typically associate with the term civilization. The Inca, for example, were considered to be a civilization even though they never developed a writing system and had very few cities. Despite these challenges, most historians agree that any society that had these traits and was able to maintain them for an extended period of time should be called a civilization.