Civilization

Civilization (or civilisation) comes from the Latin word civis meaning someone who lives in a city. The Romans usually wanted conquered people to live in towns. When people are civilized, they have learned from the wisdom, skill, and knowledge gained over centuries of human progress. The opposite of civilization is sometimes said to be entropy, barbarity, rudeness, or animal-like behavior.

A civilization is generally an advanced stage of organization. That means it has laws, culture, and a regular way of getting food and protecting the people. Most civilizations have agriculture and a system of government like monarchs or elections. They speak a common language and usually have a religion of some kind. They teach their young the knowledge they need. All civilizations since the Sumerians and the Greeks have had some kind of writing. This is because writing lets people store and build up knowledge. Civilizations also have large cities, large and unique architecture, and complex labor divisions. ^[2][3][4]

1. ↑ "Chronology". Digital Egypt for Universities. University College London. 2000. Archived from the original on 16 March 2008.
2. ↑ "Key Components of Civilization | National Geographic Society". education.nationalgeographic.org. Retrieved 2022-07-29.
3. ↑ Adams, Robert McCormick (1966). The Evolution of Urban Society. Transaction Publishers. p. 13. ISBN 9780202365947.
4. ↑ Boyden, Stephen Vickers (2004). The Biology of Civilisation. UNSW Press. pp. 7–8. ISBN 9780868407661. Archived from the original on 30 December 2016