10 Civilization Defining Criteria by Gordon Childe - Essay Example

V. Gordon Childe’s 10 Civilization Defining Criteria The ten defining criteria of civilization as proposed by Childe is one of the most important concepts that have led to an understanding of how civilizations came into being. This concept attempts to determine how small kin-based settlements developed into larger and more sophisticated societies with governments and which spanned over significant territories. This paper seeks to determine how the defining criteria of civilization, the most important being the development of large settlements, helped in bringing about civilization as we know it and how factors such as the state, specialization, among others came about hand in hand to refine society. The most important of Childe’s criteria defining civilization is the presence of a large settlement which allowed for the development of urban centers. The rest of the criteria can be considered to have been secondary because they took place as a direct result of the first. A large settlement area meant that there was a large enough population that needed to be organized in such a manner as to bring about order in society. The need to organize was essential because without any form of leadership, these settlements would not have been viable and would have eventually have disintegrated (Childe 12). Therefore, a direct result of large settlements, especially those that were not based on kinship ties, was that there emerged leaders whose role was to not only bring order in society, but also to ensure that they provided the necessary leadership in ensuring that the society remained together for mutual benefit. It was the role of leaders to help in the provision of justice as well as lead in religious observances for all people living in the settlement and this allowed for massive growth in their power. With this growth of power, leaders in society ceased being chosen by their people for their abilities and instead, these positions came to be occupied through inheritance. It is through this system of inheriting leadership that in many settlements, there developed a well entrenched ruling class which eventually led to a separation of society into two classes, namely the nobility and the commoners and this became the new order of life in what developed into urban areas. The rise of a noble class led directly to the development of the state because of the need for there to be governance over an ever growing population. The members of the ruling class were not capable of governing an entire city all by themselves and had to delegate duties to subordinates that they appointed. This meant that they had to appoint officials as well as a standing army not only to keep order within society, but also to help defend their settlements against external attacks. A result of the rise of the state was that there also developed full time specialization as well as division of labor which meant that the society became more advanced (Childe 7). Individuals within the settlement came to fulfill the different needs of society through the provision of services that were required. Those who worked for the state, for example scribes, ended up forming bureaucracies which were specialized in ensuring that the state’s activities went smoothly. The same can be said of blacksmiths who, as a result of the development of a standing army, had to create weapons for them at a constant rate. Moreover, those who remained became tied to the land as peasants and their duty was to ensure that enough food was produced to feed the population (Kennett and Winterhalder 121). Specialization meant that the society became more advanced because this aspect allowed for the development of better items as well as better ways of conducting agriculture hence enhanced production. A result was that there was a refinement in the different aspects of labor to an extent that had never been seen before. Because some individuals had to leave their own personal duties in order to work for the state, they had to be paid and this led to the development of a system of taxation (Childe 7). Therefore, to ensure that there was enough to pay for government expenditure, rulers set a fixed tax on all that was produced by their people and it is through these taxes that the state was able to function while at the same time keep its control over society. The state also came to develop its own source of income by cultivating its own lands so that it could have enough surplus agricultural products to ensure that it was able to provide for its people in case of such periods as famine. This led to the development of writing because there was a need by the state to maintain records of not only its activities, but also of its agricultural holdings as well as the taxes that it collected. A writing system also helped in the rise of predictive sciences so that such subjects as arithmetic, geometry, and astrology became more refined since the state came to need these to ensure that it was able to correctly predict and guide society on what to do through the different seasons of the year (Childe 14). Writing became a basis of the state because rulers came to use it as a means of communicating to the public through proclamations as well as keeping records that could be used by future generations. The establishment of the state as well as a system of writing meant that rulers were able to make an assessment of their wealth and decide what to do with the surplus. The wealth of rulers made it possible for them to commission monumental public architecture so that they could be remembered for posterity (Childe 12). The need for rulers to be remembered through leaving a mark in their societies led to the construction of massive buildings whose type had never before been constructed. Furthermore, the wealth or rulers also helped in the advancement of art to extremely sophisticated levels since artists specialized only on their tasks to earn an income rather than participating in other activities as well. This provided them with the time to ponder and create better art than before, hence advancement in their trade. The wealth of rulers also gave rise to their territorial ambitions since they had the revenues needed to maintain standing armies over prolonged campaigns to expand their territories so that they could acquire resources that they did not have in their own cities (Smith 3). These campaigns also led to exposure to other civilizations and helped in the development of trade relationships. Long distance trade became the norm as individuals chose to trade their surplus products with those from other states and this helped in a steady flow of foreign and exotic goods into the settlement. In the ancient world, long distance trade between the civilizations of Ancient Egypt and Sumeria were quite extensive and it is believed that the interaction between these people might have brought about some form of cultural exchange as well (Childe 15). The wealthy individuals in society, especially the nobility, were the biggest consumers of foreign goods and over time acquired a taste for them that was virtually insatiable. For example, Ancient Egypt was a land that was devoid of wood that could be used in construction as well as in making furniture. As a result, Egypt established a trade relationship with Phoenicia as a means of gaining access to its extensive wealth of wood and this ensured that merchants from these nations continued to trade in this among other products for centuries. Long distance trade not only brought wealth for civilizations, but it also made possible an extension of state power because of increased revenues. Rulers were able to undertake massive and expensive architectural projects which not only took a lot of manpower, but also many years to complete. Territorial expansion also came to be associated with trade as rulers attempted to get as much trade routes as possible under their control as a means of securing these routes from either bandits or rival civilizations. Therefore, the state became an actor in the long distance trade as a guarantor for the safety of all merchants in territory under its jurisdiction as rulers came to realize that they had to secure trade in order to increase their revenues. In conclusion, the above discussion has shown that the most criteria defining civilization is the presence of a large settlement. It is through this settlement that there emerged leaders whose role was to bring order in society through a system of government. It is through the system of inheriting leadership that there developed a well entrenched ruling class and since these individuals were not capable of governing an entire city all alone, they had to delegate duties to subordinates that they appointed. These subordinates became the basis of the state which led to the development of full time specialization as well as division of labor. Since some individuals had to work for the state, they had to be paid and this led to the development of a system of taxation. Furthermore, writing was also developed because of a need by the state to maintain records. Moreover, long distance trade became the norm as individuals traded their surplus products with those from other states hence acquiring a taste for exotic goods. Finally, the wealth accumulated by rulers made it possible for them to commission monumental public buildings which contributed to the enhancement of architecture. Works Cited Childe, V. Gordon. “The Urban Revolution.” Town Planning Review 21 (1950): 3 -17. Print. Kennett, Douglas J. and Winterhalder, Bruce. Behavioral Ecology and the Transition to Agriculture. Oakland: University of California Press, 2006. Print. Smith, Michael E. "V. Gordon Childe and the Urban Revolution: An Historical Perspective on a Revolution in Urban Studies". The Town Planning Review 80 (2009):  3 - 29. Print. Read More