civilizations
Complex human societies
Civilizations is the plural of civilization—complex societies characterized by urban development, social organization, and cultural achievements.
The word appears in discussions of historical or contemporary societies: ancient civilizations like Rome and Egypt, the clash of civilizations.
It can suggest advanced development contrasted with simpler ways of life, though such comparisons carry colonialist baggage.
Members of a nation
- populationAll inhabitants combined
- settlementsEstablished communities or agreements
- tribesAncestral social groups
- clansRelated family groups
communities · demographics · social structure · caste · hierarchy · peasants · artisans · merchants
Tigris-Euphrates river region
- SumeriansAncient southern Mesopotamian people
- BabylonAncient Mesopotamian capital
- pyramidsApex-topped geometric solids
- hieroglyphicsSymbolic picture-based writing
Indus · Akkadian · Assyrian · Hammurabi · ziggurats · Olmecs · Papyrus · druids
Act of unearthing
- artifactsHuman-made historical objects
- relicsPreserved items from antiquity
- monumentsStructures commemorating notable achievements
- digUnearth by shoveling
preservation · conservation · discovery · sites · temples · ruins · archeologists · stratigraphy
Long-established customs passed down
- customsTraditional practices or import taxes
- ritualsCeremonial repeated practices
- mythologyBody of traditional tales
- religionSystem of spiritual belief
beliefs · ceremonies · cuisine · folklore · heritage · language · symbolism · values
Defeating and seizing control
- territoryLand under jurisdiction
- dominionAuthority to rule
- dynastySuccessive family rulers
- expansionismPolicy of territorial growth
colonialism · emperor · vassal · sovereignty · hegemony · annexation · tribute · imperialism
Decayed structural remains
- collapseSudden structural failure
- decayGradual organic breakdown
- abandonmentAct of leaving permanently
- deteriorationProcess of declining quality
remnants · fall · conquest · migration · famine · plague · invasion · fragmentation
Creating something original
- advancementForward movement or promotion
- developmentProgress toward maturity
- urbanizationPopulation shift toward cities
- agricultureCultivation of land, livestock
writing · irrigation · trade · governance · infrastructure · metallurgy · specialization · codification
citizens
Members of a nation
- populationAll inhabitants combined
- settlementsEstablished communities or agreements
- tribesAncestral social groups
clans · communities · demographics · social structure · caste · hierarchy · peasants · artisans · merchants · nobility
Mesopotamia
Tigris-Euphrates river region
- SumeriansAncient southern Mesopotamian people
- BabylonAncient Mesopotamian capital
- pyramidsApex-topped geometric solids
hieroglyphics · Indus · Akkadian · Assyrian · Hammurabi · ziggurats · Olmecs · Papyrus · druids · Stonehenge
excavation
Act of unearthing
- artifactsHuman-made historical objects
- relicsPreserved items from antiquity
- monumentsStructures commemorating notable achievements
dig · preservation · conservation · discovery · sites · temples · ruins · archeologists · stratigraphy · restoration
traditions
Long-established customs passed down
- customsTraditional practices or import taxes
- ritualsCeremonial repeated practices
- mythologyBody of traditional tales
religion · beliefs · ceremonies · cuisine · folklore · heritage · language · symbolism · values · artifacts
conquest
Defeating and seizing control
expansionism · colonialism · emperor · vassal · sovereignty · hegemony · annexation · tribute · imperialism · monarchy
ruins
Decayed structural remains
- collapseSudden structural failure
- decayGradual organic breakdown
- abandonmentAct of leaving permanently
deterioration · remnants · fall · conquest · migration · famine · plague · invasion · fragmentation · depopulation
innovation
Creating something original
- advancementForward movement or promotion
- developmentProgress toward maturity
- urbanizationPopulation shift toward cities
agriculture · writing · irrigation · trade · governance · infrastructure · metallurgy · specialization · codification · architecture
- historypast events, historian, epochs, era, epoch
- humanityhuman, human being, humans, people, mankind
- social studiessocial studies, maps, economics, community, sociology
- civilizationempires, empire, dynasty, kingdoms, society
- rise and falltides, empires, stocks, markets, careers
- art historyart history, Renaissance, Baroque, Impressionism, modern art
civilizationsbarbarism
Savage, uncivilized behavior
savagery · barbarities · savageries · prehistory · primitivism
civilizationsanarchy
Disorder from absent authority
chaos · barbarism · lawlessness · societal collapse · collapse
- ancient civilizationsSocieties of the distant past
- lost civilizationsDefunct ancient cultures
- Western civilizationEuro-American cultural tradition
- early civilizationEarliest complex human societies
- alien civilizationsNon-Earth intelligent societies
- dawn of civilization