A civilization is a complicated society which is characterized by factors such as social
stratification, development of humans, various forms of government and well developed
symbolic system of communication ("Civilizations"). Civilizations main purpose us to
concentrate power and extend human control over nature and help us secure our individual
security, fulfilment and happiness (Anta 50). The earliest civilization appeared in Mesopotamia,
the Sumerians, developed about 3000 BCE due to agricultural development. A civilization is
characterized by a large population center, monumental architecture, common communications
style, unique art style, a system of governance or for administering territories, complex division
of labor and division of people into social classes and economic classes such as the castle system
of India which is also known as jati. A civilization becomes a civilization through various ways
such as trade, conflict and exploration. Through this key elements, civilization is able to evolve
into an empire because of political, social and economic growth. Such an example is the Khmer
civilization of south Asia who developed due to human geography ("Key Components Of
Civilization").
Based on the civilizations covered in the course, there were no civilizations who acted a
'nice, kind, tolerant, open' manner. When a civilization was in a quest to conquer land occupied
by another they either assimilated the group to their culture such as how the romans assimilated
other cultures to form a large empire. When the civilizations resisted, the romans resulted to
violence. A good example is the first two Punic Wars which ended with Rome in full control of
Sicily, the western Mediterranean and much of Spain. In the Third Punic War (149–146 B.C.),
the Romans captured and destroyed the city of Carthage and sold its surviving inhabitants into
slavery, making a section of northern Africa a Roman province. When the inhabitants complied,
the civilizations that took over assimilated them to be part of their empire but they were required
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to obey their laws, at times change their religions or pay certain taxes to the new ruling empire
("Ancient Rome").
Of all civilizations to have existed, all civilizations have certain common characteristics
as stated above. Due to this, it can be argued that all civilization are the same. However, in my
view I think this civilizations are different in various ways. If the civilizations were similar, there
wouldn’t be need to assimilate other civilizations when a new civilization takes over. Moreover,
the numerous wars between civilizations would not be present. Due to this, I argue that
civilizations are different in various ways. A good example is how the government’s structures
are different where some are dictatorial, some use a constitutional monarchy and other are
republics. Although all some the same purpose and the end goal is the same, many civilizations
in history have used different systems of government.
Based on the various civilizations we have studied, I would say the ideal civilizations
should be an egalitarian society, a system of law and order that focuses on rehabilitation instead
of punishment, and a hybrid system of government. This form of government involves putting
power in the hands of the people which ensures there is no leader who holds a lot of power. This
ensures that there is no abuse of power. In the ideal civilization, conflict must also be kept to a
minimum. This would ensure that the people are productive which in turn improves the economy
and their lifestyles. The culture or civilization that comes closest is the Minoan civilization.
According to the article “world history civilization”, the Minoan were an egalitarian civilization.
This civilization was located in Crete. The reason why this is considered ideal is that archeologist
did not find proof of fortifications in the settlements which suggests a relatively peaceful coexistence between the different communities. Furthermore, the way men and women seem equal
from what we can tell according to the art. The written texts cannot be used because they have
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not been deciphered. Moreover, the four major settlements Knossos, Phaistos, Malia, Zakros
show proof that the palaces exerted some kind of localized control.
However just because a culture is idea does not mean make it reasonable to integrate
every culture together. This is because every culture in the world has its own unique
characteristics. This unique characteristics are important to keep and would be eroded if cultures
are integrated. However, having cultures assimilated into each otherThe western culture has
received many positive contribution from other cultures around the world. This is such as how
presence of other cultures increases the variety of food available in our culture. Such an example
is how sushi and tacos have become a major part of the meal in our culture now. In addition, the
assimilation of other cultures has benefited our culture in regards to medicine. Such an example
is how the Chinese culture introduced the Chinese traditional medicine to us. Practices
acupuncture, herbal medicine as well as meditation (Wang and Zhang). Assimilation of other
cultures to our culture has influenced the American science, music, literature, fashion as well as
architecture (Pells). I think protecting the different cultures in the world is important instead of
having one global culture that makes us loose our originality hence this will not make the world
any better. Instead, we should try to live in unity together holding our own personal believes and
original cultures (Cartwright). Based on the recent events of the world, I everything is changing
for the better. This is because people are speaking up on various forms of oppression in various
cultures. This is such as racism and gender inequality. If we achieve this, across the world, it will
be a change for the better among various civilizations across the world.
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Work cited
"Ancient Rome." HISTORY. N.p., 2021. Web. 6 June 2021 .
<https://www.history.com/topics/ancient-rome/ancient-rome>.
"Civilizations." National Geographic Society. N.p., 2021. Web. 6 June 2021 .
<https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/civilizations/>.
Cartwright, Mark. "Minoan Civilization." World History Encyclopedia. N.p., 2021. Web. 7 June
2021 . <https://www.worldhistory.org/Minoan_Civilization/>.
Diop, Cheikh Anta. Civilization or barbarism. Chicago Review Press, 1991.
"Key Components Of Civilization." National Geographic Society. N.p., 2021. Web. 6 June
2021 . <https://www.nationalgeographic.org/article/key-componentscivilization/#:~:text=Civilizations%20expand%20through%20trade%2C%20conflict,the
%20Khmer%20civilization%2C%20for%20example.>.
Pells, Richard. "Foreign Influences On American Culture In The 20Th Century." Sspace.snu.ac.kr. N.p., 2021. Web. 1 May 2021 . <https://sspace.snu.ac.kr/bitstream/10371/88683/1/6.%20Articles%20%20%20Foreign%20Influences
%20on%20American%20Culture%20in%20the%2020Th%20Century.pdf>.
Wang WJ, Zhang T. Integration of traditional Chinese medicine and Western medicine in the era
of precision medicine. J Integr Med. 2017 Jan;15(1):1-7. doi: 10.1016/S2095-4964(17)60314-5.
PMID: 28088253.
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