Six Essential Characteristics of Civilization Essay Example

To become a civilization, you must have six characteristics, religion, cities, art/architecture, a form of writing, social structure and an organized government. The Egyptian Civilization for example, has all six of these and was considered a very successful civilization. Of course, all of theses are important factors in contributing to a successful civilization, but some characteristics stand out more than others. One could say that a few of the characteristics are more important than the others. For example, there are three that come to mind. Out of the six necessities for a successful civilization the most important are social structure, organized government and religion.

Social structure is a big part of a successful civilization. The Egyptians had a very complex social structure. There was the Pharaoh at the top, then vizer, then the provincial governors, then the nobles and priests, then the artisans/merchants/traders, and at the bottom the farmers/peasants. Social structure is based on your job/function. There is a division of labor, meaning people have shared responsibilities to meet the needs of the people in the community. This ensures success because if everyone has a set place and everyone is doing what they can to help the civilization, it will be a successful one.

Organized government is crucial for a successful civilization. For example, in the Egyptian Civilization the government helped the people very much. It consisted of the Pharaoh at the top, below him the vizier, and below the vizier the provincial governors. The vizier and the provincial governors help lead the Pharaoh and tell him what to do. The organized government makes laws and keeps people in check, making sure no one does anything wrong and everyone follows the rules. The organized government is a necessity because without the laws, the civilization would be in anarchy and there would be chaos everywhere, making the civilization 100% unsuccessful.

Religion is important for a successful civilization. Like in the Egyptian Civilization religion was vital because it promoted unity and it gave people a sense of belonging. With religion the Pharaohs were bale to keep people in order because it was the basis of their power. Religion gives people a way of how they should live almost like an ethic or moral code. It gives people a source of comfort or hope. It also explains the unknown, giving people a reason for why this it that happened. Without religion people would question a lot, for example, why are you in charge? Or who made the sun? How did we get here? Why can’t I rule? Why won’t the crops grow? People would dissolve into an unstable environment with lots of riots and protests which would definitely not lead to a successful civilization.

So even though there are six characteristics of a successful civilization. There are three that stand out the most. Social structure because it gives everyone a set place in society. Organized government because without it people would descend into chaos. And religion because it helps people understand why everything is happening, it explains the unknown and in a way it stops people from asking questions and defying their ruler. Religion, social structure and an organized government are the most important of the six necessities to have a successful civilization.