Indicators of a civilization

This is just some quick notes on how to identify a civilization or high culture

Indicators of a civilization see civilizations

See also the continuation in Time of troubles

How do we identify a civilization or a high culture? How can we assume that there hvae been this or that civilization? Well we must look for parallels with other civilizations we know like our own. Especially find phases also seen in known civilizations. But if we want to be sure, certain phases should be excluded.

The time of absolute monarchy is difficult to use, because it is easily confused with the imperial rule at the end of a civilization. Of the same reason also the emperors cannot be used as an indicator.

Phases and high points of art are also a problem, because the evaluation of it is so subjective.

Feudalism could be a sign of an early phase of a civilization, but does not have to. It can occur at other times and places like in Japan after 1000 AD.

So what is left?

1) It is safer to look at feudalism in combination with an early heroic time as seen in epics, myths about heroes and other narratives. This is seen in

The West: King Arthur, Chanson de Roland, Nibelungenlied etc.

Greek-Roman civilization: The Iliad, The Odyssey.

China II: The material compiled in Romance of three Kingdoms etc.

India I: Veda.

Mesopotamia I: Gilgamesh, Lugalbanda, Enmerkar..

2) Another sign is the coexistence of feudalism with  a phase of religious intensity and speculation, theology.

The West: Scholasticism.

The Oriental-Arab civilization: New Testament and Christianity 0-500. Corresponding era in Parsism, Gnosticism, Manichaeism.

China II: Buddhism and Taoism 200-700.

3) The third indicator is the existence of a modernity with free and rational thought. This phase is unfortunately often difficult to see, because its history is typically written by the aftertime, which does not understand the radically different and revolutionary ideas. We are already approaching this condition, see http://polybios-2100.blogspot.dk/2012/10/la-condition-postmoderne.html. For more and more people, even educated, the ideas of 1968 and 1977 are becoming incomprehensible. In history writing after modernity, the fights about ideas in the modern phase are seen only as struggle for power.

But if we can see a modern phase, we can be sure, that we see a civilization in a late phase.

The West: 1789 to now.

Greek-Roman: Between Alexander and Augustus: Hellenism. Sciences rtc.

China II: Song Dynasty. Rationalism. Political thought.

China I: Warring States period. Philosophy. Hundred Schools. Political ideologies.

india I: Time of Buddha, where explicit atheism also existed. Buddhism was originally not religion, but it became one after the modernity phase as logos was replaces by mythos, see 4 Ahau - 3 Kankin ...

Oriental-Arab civilization 750-1100. Philosophers putting Allah under the law of reason.

4) the development of cities. Around the time of a modernity, the urbanization culminates with more large cities. New York, Paris, London, Rome Alexandria, Bagdad, Samarra, Babylon just to mention a few.

5) Change in warfare. In the beginning in feudal times cavaliers fighting man against man. In the West after the victory of infantry over chevaliers at the  battle at Sempach more and more focus on organized phalanxes. Corresponding in the development in other civilizations. The modernity times sees large infantry divisions.

So in conclusion we have 5 indicators of a civilization or high culture:

1) Feudalism plus epic heroic myths.

2) Feudalism plus religious intensity and theology.

3) A modernity.

4) Cities.

5) Wars carried out by organized phalanxes.

One could add, that if both 3) and 1) or 2) or both are seen, there should be around 6 or centuries between the culminations of the phases 1) / 2) and 3), between on feudalism with myths and religious intensity and on the other hand modernity.

Organized warfare and the growth of cities culminate in the modernity phases.