The Seven Features of Civilizations
This book will give readers a closer look into the seven features that are shared by most civilizations around the world, despite their far-reaching distances and differences in cultural traditions.
A Reliable Food Supply
A society has to have more than enough food for survival. This allows them to focus on other aspects of life as opposed to just farming.
Often times in the ancient world, the production of a food surplus was the result of the flooding of major rivers. When these rivers would flood, the plants would receive rich nutrients and grow plentifully. This meant that not all people had to be restricted to farming each day, and led to job specialization. This meant people could, instead, learn architecture, medicine, and wartime tactics. This led to more advanced societies.
Social Structures
A society needs to have different levels of people and different jobs to be accomplished.
Typically, social structures are represented in a triangular format to emphasize the fact that the population at the top of the pyramid is typically smaller, while the number of people at the bottom of the pyramid is usually much greater. In the ancient world, the people at the top of the pyramid represented royalty-the kings, pharaohs, emperors, etc. The middle of the pyramid was typically represented by skilled workers-artisans, craftsman, etc. The bottom was almost always made up of slaves or farmworkers.
The people at the top of the pyramid represented those regarded with the highest rank in society, while those at the bottom were those typically least respected.
Government
A society needs to have someone making rules and enforcing them to keep order.
The government is represented by people chosen or elected to voice the interests of a given group of people. Some countries enjoy living in countries where they vote and determine who will create laws and pass bills that help or support them in their personal lives. Other countries are governed by minority groups that do not give everyday citizens any kind of voice or say about who takes these important decisions.
The laws that are passed by government officials determine how individual people spend their money, support their family members' health, and how to conduct international relations with other countries. Typically, countries have more than one party that wants to take control of the government.
Religion
Civilizations have a religion where people can share a belief system and traditions.
Religious beliefs typically assume that a person or group of people believe in a higher power and/or the existence of the afterlife or reincarnation. Some religions are based in the belief that the way people receive good fortune in the present and in the afterlife/reincarnation is through good behavior or praise of their respected higher power in their life on earth. Other religions explain that the only way to receive good fortune in the present and in the afterlife/reincarnation is to accept and declare the beliefs of the group.
Religion is a deeply rooted custom and valued aspect of several different ancient and modern civilizations. It gives people an understanding and/or explanations for the things they cannot see, do not understand, and cannot make sense of in the present.
The Arts
Societies that are civilizations have the time to enjoy the beauty in life. Civilizations have time for the arts. This may include architecture, painting, sculpture, music, metalworking, and literature.
Different regions of the world have different natural resources that they're able to put to use artistically. For example, ancient Mesopotamia was rich in copper and tin, which when combined together, produced the metal we know today as bronze. Because of this, several of the Mesopotamian art pieces, such as sculptures, that have been found over time were made using bronze.
Typically, art was used to demonstrate the beauty in life. People at the top of the social pyramid were likely to adorn their houses and living spaces with artistic pieces to show their higher quality and standard of living. The more art they possessed, the more beautiful their life was considered to be.
Technology
Civilizations have the time to make great advancements through technology. Technology is when humans use knowledge or science to create tools and inventions for everyday purposes.
Although most people in the modern world associate technology with things that are battery charged and/or have an on/off switch, the earliest forms of technology in the ancient world definitely existed without these features. The ancient Sumerians from Mesopotamia created both the wheel and the sail, two very impressive technological advances for the time period. Making these tools required advanced knowledge and skill application. Incorporating them into daily life and practices resulted in improved lifestyles for the Sumerians.
Similar to the arts, different cultures have access to different resources depending on their location in the world and their communication/trade with neighboring cultures. Because of this, different cultures in differents parts of the world develop technologies over time that exist to benefit their civilization's existence.
A System of Writing
In order to be a civilization, a society has to have the ability to communicate through writing. This allows people to organize ideas and share information. Different civilizations have created different alphabets over time that are represented through symbols, letters, images, and/or graphics. The compilation of these writings has allowed people to record history throughout several thousands of years to later be analyzed and reviewed.
Without a system of writing, it would be impossible to reflect back on history and make decisions about how to act accordingly. At some point, the people of prior generations will pass completely, and the only way we will be able to understand their culture and lives at the time will be through documents left and passed down. Because of this, an established system of writing is, arguably, one of the most essential of the seven features of civilizations.