Civilization: Definition and Characteristics

Civilization: Definition and Characteristics

1. Definition and Characteristics
By Antonio Delgado
Faculty, General De Jesus College

2. How is civilization defined?
Distinguish civilization from “kabihasnan”.
What are the seven major first civilizations?
What are the different characteristics of civilization?
How are these characteristics exemplified in the oldest
civilization: Sumer (Mesopotamia)?

3. Latin word meaning “city”

4. According to Beck, et al (2009), it is a complex culture with five
characteristics:
1.Advanced cities
2.Specialized workers
3.Complex institutions
4.Record keeping
5.Advanced technology

5. Cities were the birthplaces of civilizations.
Although Strayer& Nelson (2016) describes a city as having a
population in the tens of thousands, a city is more than a large
group of people living together.
It is a center of trade.

6. c. 3800 –500 BCE

7. c. 3800 –500 BCE

8. c. 4500 BCE

9. Population: 40,000 –80,000
“first true city”

11. specialization–development of skills in a specific kind of work
artisans –skilled workers who make goods by hand

12. Standard of Ur (c.. 2600 BCE)

13. institution–long-lasting pattern of organization in a
community
Examples: government, religion

15. Code of Ur-Nammu

17. cuneiform–first system of writing invented by the Sumerians
around 3000 BCE
pictographs–symbols of the objects or what they represented
scribes–professional record keepers

18. clay tablet with cuneiform writing

19. “wedge-shaped”

20. clay tablet and stylus

22. quipu–system of record keeping of the Incans which used a set
if colored strings tied with different-sized knots at various
intervals

23. Example of quipufrom LarcoMuseum Collection

24. technology–refers to the people’s use of tools and processes to
make their work faster and easier.

25. mass-produced pottery

26. hydraulic engineering

27. plow

28. textile mill

29. mass-produced bricks

30. Ur-Nammuas Basket Carrier, c. 2111 -2905 BCE

31. c. 3000 –1200 BCE

33. According to CrashCourse(2012), it is a social order with four or
more of the following “symptoms”:
Surplus production
City
Specialization of labor
Trade
Social stratification
Centralized government
Shared values (religion)
Writing

34. surplus -agricultural produce or a quantity of food grown in
excess of one’s needs

36. For our course, these are the characteristics of a civilization:
1.Advanced cities
2.Surplus production
3.Specialization
4.Social stratification
5.Government
6.Belief system
7.Economy
8.Record keeping
9.Advanced technology
10.Associated with a river

39. 1.Mesopotamian Civilization (Sumerian) –Tigris and Euphrates
2.Nile Valley Civilization (Old Kingdom)–Nile
3.Indus Valley Civilization–Indus
and Sarasvati (Ghaggar-Hakkar) River
1.Chinese Civilization (Shang dynasty) –Huang He
and Yangtze (Chiang Jiang)
These are known as the Four Great River Valley civilizations.

40. Tigris

41. Euphrates

42. Euphrates

43. Nile River

44. Indus

45. Ghaggar-HakraRiver

46. Ghaggar-HakraRiver

47. Huang He

48. Chiang Jiang

49. Chiang Jiang

50. 5.Norte Chico Civilization –SupeRiver
6.Mesoamerican Civilization (Olmec) –Coatzacoalcos River
7.Oxus Civilization –Amu Darya

52. In Filipino, “sibilisasyon” has a different meaning from
“kabihasnan”.
The word “kabihasnan” comes from the word “bihasa”

53. It is a society that has a high standard of living, an organized
government, religion, a system of labor, and social stratification
(Cruz, et al, 2015).

54. According to Cruz, et al (2015), there are five standards by
which by which the presence of a “kabihasnan” may be
measured:
1.Government
2.Economy
3.Religion
4.System of Writing
5.Advanced level of technology

56. Boxer Codex (c. 1590)

57. Civilization is a reflection of who we are and what we value
(Osborne, 2006).
“Hindi sibilisado.”
“Taga-bundok”
“Barbarian” –anyone who did not speak ancient Greek
Civilization is an intellectual construct (CrashCourse, 2012).

60. Beck, R. et al (2009). World History: Patterns of Interaction. Boston,
MA: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company, pages 14 –25
CrashCourse. (2012, February 2). Indus Valley Civilization: Crash
Course World History #2 [Video File]. Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7ndRwqJYDM
Cruz, A. et al (2015). World History. Quezon City: VibalGroup, Inc.,
pages 43 –44
Strayer, R. & Nelson, E. (2016). Ways of the World: A Brief Global
History with Sources (3rd ed.). Boston, MA: Bedford/St. Martin’s.
pages 24 –47