Human Civilization Through the Ages

Book Abstract

Many different elements must come together before a human community develops to the level of sophistication commonly referred to as civilization.The first is the existence of settlements classifiable as towns or cities.This requires food production to be efficient enough for a large minority of the community to be engaged in more specialized activities - such as the creation of imposing buildings or works of art, the practice of skilled warfare, and above all the administration of a centralized bureaucracy capable of running the machinery of state.Civilization requires at least a rudimentary civil service.In the organization of a civil service, a system of writing is an almost indispensable aid.This is not invariably the case because at least one civilization, that of the Incas in Peru, will thrive without writing. But the development of writing greatly enhances civilization.And with a script comes history.Our knowledge of prehistory derives from surviving objects - the evidence of archaeology. History, by contrast, is based on documents.These various interconnections mean that history, civilization and writing all begin at the same time.