Human societies became more complex as farming and the division of labor helped people survive in areas where weather and terrain allowed for sedentary life. However, there is still debate about how to define civilization and whether societies that have not reached certain levels of cultural development are civilized at all. Historians, archaeologists and anthropologists agree that it takes a lot more than agriculture and urbanization to be considered civilized, though the specific characteristics are debated. Some historians also think that a defining feature is the practice of organized religion, and there are various ways to classify the different types of civilizations.
Civilization refers to a society that has evolved beyond the most basic hunter-gatherer lifestyle, and developed complex agricultural and industrial production. It usually has many secondary cultural traits, such as a developed transportation system, writing, standardized measurement, currency and contractual or tort-based legal systems. It may also have sophisticated mathematics, scientific understanding and metallurgy. It also often has an elaborately complex culture with a state-based decision making apparatus, written literature and professional art, architecture and organized religion.
The word civilization derives from the Latin civis, meaning “citizen.” In general, scholars believe that the rise of civilization was associated with a change from nomadic to sedentary life and the emergence of government and political structures that could control a large territory. The earliest civilizations, such as the Olmec and Maya of Mesoamerica and the city-state of Rome in the ancient world, all appear to have risen near a source of fresh water. This is logical, as prehistoric hunter-gatherers gravitated to water sources.
It is believed that the first sedentary societies to emerge were those that had the ability to cultivate plants for food and to domesticate animals for meat. This facilitated trade, population growth and the spread of ideas that eventually resulted in complex cultures. The development of these cultures led to new technologies such as pottery, weaving, ceramics, glass and writing. It also prompted social stratification as elite families gained more power and wealth over the broader population.
Some historians also believe that it takes a certain level of cultural sophistication to be considered civilized, and that the rise of these civilizations is associated with the rise of Christianity and Islam, which have both contributed to a global culture. Others disagree, saying that these religious developments are just a small part of the overall phenomenon.
Civilization brought a new standard of living to humans, and also spawned problems such as warfare, environmental degradation and disparity of wealth. In the future, it is hoped that studying these past societies and analyzing how they rose and fell can help us address today’s challenges. For example, the Research Institute for the Dynamics of Civilizations at Okayama University in Japan is using a novel multi-disciplinary approach to uncover lessons from the Asian and Mesoamerican past that can be applied to modern-day global issues such as environmental sustainability, conflict resolution and economic development.