Topics in Culture
Early Civilization
Michelle Casey
American InterContinental University
When one thinks of civiization they think of how society is today. People don’t think of how it was thousands of year ago when civilization was at its infantcy. We first have to understand what exactly defines what a civilization is. As defined by Sayre (2011), civilization is a way of life that has the capability to sustain a large group of people while maintainly adequate production to support that group. To further understand civilization it is best to also understand what the dynamics that were contributed to the cultural structure of society. Also from the dynamics of culture there are collective issues that occurred. Finally, understand the influences that facilitated in the molding of civilization. Various essentials must come together inorder for a community to reach the level to be considered a sophisticated civilization. Geography was a key element for the formation of civilizations. The people needed to be in an area where there was plenty of access to water for irrigation, trasportation so they can go trade with other civilizations. The geography would also determine the people’s way of life would depend on farming, hunting or trade. Efficient food production is the next factor that is considered when forming civilizaations. The people would make sure there was ample land for farming, and animals for hunting. Specialized activities such as architecture and art and trained people for combat is another element of civilization. Finally the last element is the organization of a centralized government. As the civilization began to expand and grow, social issues began to occur because of the culture structure of the civilization. Early civilizations differed from eachother with their beliefs and way of life in general. Civilizations didn’t believe in just one God but instead believed in many Gods (Sayre, 2010). Social status was also an issue in civilizations, the
Michelle Casey
American InterContinental University
When one thinks of civiization they think of how society is today. People don’t think of how it was thousands of year ago when civilization was at its infantcy. We first have to understand what exactly defines what a civilization is. As defined by Sayre (2011), civilization is a way of life that has the capability to sustain a large group of people while maintainly adequate production to support that group. To further understand civilization it is best to also understand what the dynamics that were contributed to the cultural structure of society. Also from the dynamics of culture there are collective issues that occurred. Finally, understand the influences that facilitated in the molding of civilization. Various essentials must come together inorder for a community to reach the level to be considered a sophisticated civilization. Geography was a key element for the formation of civilizations. The people needed to be in an area where there was plenty of access to water for irrigation, trasportation so they can go trade with other civilizations. The geography would also determine the people’s way of life would depend on farming, hunting or trade. Efficient food production is the next factor that is considered when forming civilizaations. The people would make sure there was ample land for farming, and animals for hunting. Specialized activities such as architecture and art and trained people for combat is another element of civilization. Finally the last element is the organization of a centralized government. As the civilization began to expand and grow, social issues began to occur because of the culture structure of the civilization. Early civilizations differed from eachother with their beliefs and way of life in general. Civilizations didn’t believe in just one God but instead believed in many Gods (Sayre, 2010). Social status was also an issue in civilizations, the
References: Revisionist History. (2010). In Culture Wars: An Encyclopedia of Issues, Viewpoints, and Voices. Retrieved from http://www.credoreference.com.proxy.cecybrary.com/entry/sharpecw/revisionist_history Sayre, H. M. (2010). Discovering the Humanities. Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall.