Civilization is a complex human society that includes high levels of culture, industry, and shared institutions like government and religion. Civilization is usually characterized by advanced forms of agriculture, urban culture, hierarchies of power, and advanced forms of technology.
Historians first used the term civilization in the nineteenth century to distinguish human communities that exhibited certain features that they found culturally superior to others. By the late twentieth century, scholars of non-Western cultures had begun to use the term as well. But the term civilization remains a controversial one, and it is not agreed upon as to what exactly a civilization is or how many characteristics it should have.
A common theory is that the rise of civilization occurred around 10,000 BCE when humans learned to cultivate crops and produce surplus food for trade and other purposes. This process was known as the Neolithic Revolution. It was the beginning of a long chain reaction that transformed human life and culture forever.
As agriculture grew in the early civilizations, cities began to grow because people needed a way to meet their increased needs for goods and services that were beyond what could be provided by local groups. These new needs included specialized work such as pottery, metalwork, and architecture. They also included specialized roles such as priests, scribes, and kings. Moreover, the increased population of city dwellers necessitated systems for governance and security.
Eventually, the surplus wealth produced by agricultural settlements gave some individuals enough money and resources to become elite leaders. These powerful leaders consolidated power by forming state organizations and controlling local irrigation systems. They also controlled larger areas and populations through the use of coerced tribute or taxes. This type of leadership led to a social stratification with a king at the top, a wealthy elite class, and various classes below them including warriors, peasants, craftspeople, and slaves.
Some of the most famous early civilizations were in Mesopotamia and Egypt, but civilizations developed all over the world. These societies became complex as they developed a variety of technologies, adapted their environment to support agriculture and other occupations, and formed a sense of identity by establishing shared beliefs, art, and language.
These cultural advances made it possible to build cities that were able to house large numbers of people who lived and worked together, often without ever seeing each other face-to-face. This was possible because of the development of shared communication systems. This was first achieved with the use of writing, which was initially a system for recording accounts and inventory but later evolved to generate law books, poetry, and history.
Civilizations also benefited from advances in technology such as iron and bronze working tools, wheeled vehicles, irrigation, metallurgy, and water-based warfare. They also benefitted from the development of shared institutions such as religion, philosophy, and education. They are also characterized by a diversity of ethnic, religious, and racial groups within them. These factors give the concept of a civilization its dynamism and make it an enduring and fascinating part of our global past.