What do you think about when you hear the word civilization? Do we really need it in order to survive and prosper on this planet? The real question is whether we can live above subsistence without the technological innovations that densely populated settlements generate. Moreover, the question is not as frivolous as it may seem at first glance. Many cultures throughout human history consciously decided not to take the route toward nucleated settlements and the resultant consequences. The Celts represent one example from the time line of our course of a people who preferred not to have cities. The Avars, a Turkic-speaking people from Central Asia, were pastoral nomads who acquired cities during the course of their conquests, yet they used cities in ways that would strike average city dwellers as most strange.
Define civilization in your own words, based on your understanding of the nine characteristics commonly associated with civilizations presented in Section 2.1 of your textbook, World history: The human experience to 1500.
Choose one society from the Week 1 Civilization Tour, which includes Mesopotamian, Olmec, Egyptian, Harappan, and Ancient Chinese societies.
Based on at least two of the characteristics listed in Section 2.1, explain why your chosen society can be considered a civilization.
Provide specific examples drawn from this week's learning materials to support your claims. Cite and format all sources according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center, using both in-text citations and providing full references at the bottom of your post. Your initial post should be a minimum of 300 words.