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Standard HS Textbook: The Five Basic Characteristics Of Civilization

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A civilization is the stage of advanced human cultural and technological development. The Standard High School textbook (standard HS textbook) labels a civilization as five basic characteristics: Advanced cities, specialized workers, complex institutions, record keeping, and advanced technology. These five criteria accurately represent a civilization, and leaving out one of these criteria can lead to a society unable to be labeled as a civilization. A connection to a world system can tremendously benefit a society in aspects of trade and cultural diffusion, making this additional criterion completely necessary for a society to advance for many years. In this way, I strongly believe that the term “civilization” is a valid concept, and that these five criteria are what ultimately decide whether or not a society is in fact a civilization. …show more content…

However, I consider advanced technology to be in the same field as specialized workers, because technology is only made possible by the specialization of labor. Civilizations are able to develop when there is a food surplus. Through the ability to control the food source and focus on specialized jobs, communities are able to develop and grow a lot more quickly, leading to the establishment of cities. Complex institutions are the basis of any civilization. They are what make government, religion, writing systems, creative thinking, and law possible. The bigger a variety of complex institutions there are in a society, the better off a civilization becomes because of the more available jobs and skills. In Guns, Germs, and Steel, author Jared Diamond explains how record keeping in ancient times enabled rulers to keep track of important information about their encounters in distant lands, leading to easy

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Ancient Civilizations Egypt, Mesopotamia, and India are some of the early civilizations, that helped to shape the world as we know it. Each ancient civilization had many contributions to society. Some would include irrigation, grid like house system, and written languages. Ancient Egypt is one of the most common ancient civilizations. We all know them for the pyramid but that 's not all that they achieved.

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H: Civilization- the stage of human social and development organization that is considered more advanced. I: Institution- a society or organization founded for a religious, educational, social, or similar purpose. J: Patriarchal- of, relating to, or characteristic of a patriarch.

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Civilizations have been a topic of fascination for human beings for centuries. Felipe Fernandez Armesto's book on civilizations provides a comprehensive look at the evolution of human societies and the various factors that have contributed to their rise and fall. Armesto argues that civilizations are not just defined by their technological and economic advancements, but also by their cultural and social values. He emphasizes the importance of understanding the diverse cultural backgrounds that make up our world and how they have shaped the development of civilizations.

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Labor systems have been the foundation for civilizations since the beginning of time. Who did what and how they benefited each other, in other words, specialization of labor, came to be a defining factor in whether a society was truly a civilization or not. Most great civilizations were founded on agricultural labor systems, and societies with no systematic format on their workforce were seldom able to take the main stage in world history. Between 1450 and 1750, the Americas began to mark their place in the world, proving they were just as relevant as Europe, Africa, or Asia. The labor systems established during 1450-1750 were key factors in how they were able to do so.

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By using the idea of sacrifice, Authors ‘Shirley Jackson’ and ‘Ursula LeGuin’ both express how an act of sacrifice can determine the fate of another human’s life, and how one’s sacrifice can affect another person’s life in the short stories ‘The Lottery’ and ‘The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas’. The authors both use similar writing techniques, but the morals of the societies are different. In the short stories “The Lottery” and “The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas” you have two communities that both seem to be the perfect society in a way. “The Lottery” has an opening feel of kids playing and a big huge festival where everyone is having a good time.

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`` (Typee 27) When thinking about the term civilization, most people do not seem to have difficulties in defining the meaning of this word, which initially appears to be quiet simple. According to the Oxford dictionaries civilization is `` the stage of human social development and organization which is considered the most advanced. `` (Oxford Dictionaries) But when thinking about how this term was used in history the definition of the term civilization is not as clear as it seemed before. In ``The Discourse of Civilization and Decolonization`` the author Prasenjit Duara claims that the

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3. Creating a Civilization a. What are the major characteristics that should be achieved before social organization qualify to be considered a civilization? Civilizations are mainly characterized by its separation from outside influences and powers. Before a civilization is to qualify as one, it should be able to stand on its own, without the help of other people outside that civilization.

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The development of Africa played a prominent role in the rise of its civilization. What defines a well structured civilization is having a good writing system, culture, and technology. Researchers believe that African peoples traveled as far as across the ocean and into the Americas bringing these with them. Since Africa was so diverse, the influence of other societies had a great impact in language and writing. One component that helped civilization rise is the environment.

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NOTES: Key question and what we are looking for. Research. What makes a civilization? And what are some of the qualities?

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​Civilization​ ​is​ ​defined​ ​generally​ ​as​ ​the​ ​process​ ​by​ ​which​ ​human​ ​society​ ​achieves​ ​a​ ​progressed​ ​stage​ ​of social​ ​development.​ ​​Although​ ​the​ ​classifying​ ​of​ ​societies​ ​as​ ​civilizations​ ​is​ ​not​ ​without​ ​controversy,​ ​the​ ​use​ ​of select​ ​criteria​ ​that​ ​eliminate​ ​bias​ ​allows​ ​for​ ​a​ ​valid​ ​concept.​ ​​This​ ​concept​ ​of​ ​civilization​ ​can​ ​be​ ​best​ ​understood using​ ​the​ ​standard​ ​high​ ​school​ ​textbook​ ​criteria​ ​consisting​ ​of​ ​five​ ​classifications,​ ​being:​ ​advanced​ ​cities, specialized​ ​workers,​ ​complex​ ​institutions,​ ​record​ ​keeping,​ ​and​ ​advanced​ ​technology.​ ​In​ ​addition​ ​to​ ​the​ ​five criteria,​ ​the​ ​inclusion​ ​of​ ​a​ ​regional​

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