Understanding Civilisation

Let us begin with a fundamental question—What is a civilisation?

The term civilisation refers to an advanced stage in the development of human society. It is a phase where human beings not only live together in organized settlements but also achieve notable progress in various spheres of life—economic, political, cultural, and technological.

But mere grouping of people is not enough. For a society to be called a civilisation, certain distinct features must be present. Let’s decode them one by one.

Core Features of a Civilisation

1. Urbanism
   • This implies the emergence of towns and cities, with planned layouts, roads, public spaces, drainage systems, and water management.
   • Cities become central hubs where people live in close quarters but follow organized systems of living.
2. Surplus Agriculture
   • Initially, humans were hunters and gatherers. Later, with the agricultural revolution, farming became a stable source of food.
   • When farmers started producing more food than required, a surplus emerged. This surplus became the backbone of urban life.
   • Urban Life Driven by Agricultural Surplus: Now, think of this like a chain reaction:
     • Once there was more food than needed, not everyone had to remain a farmer.
     • This freed up time and energy for others to engage in:
       • Tool-making
       • Construction
       • Pottery
       • Weaving
       • Administration and governance
     • Gradually, specialised occupations emerged.
     • These specialists settled together, leading to the growth of towns and cities, where knowledge systems—art, science, architecture, and culture—started flourishing.
     • In essence, a surplus in food enabled economic diversification, which laid the foundation of civilisation.
3. Writing and Symbolic Communication
   • As societies grew complex, people needed a way to record events, maintain accounts, and transmit knowledge.
   • Hence, systems of writing or symbolic communication evolved.
4. Trade and Commerce
   • Trade wasn’t limited to just local exchange. There was:
     • Internal trade within cities and villages
     • External trade with far-off lands
   • This interconnectedness led to the exchange of not just goods but also ideas and technologies
5. Craft Specialisation
   • Civilisations managed raw materials like stone, metal, or clay, and converted them into finished goods—like ornaments, weapons, utensils, and tools.
   • This required skills, which led to occupational guilds or clusters of skilled artisans.
6. Governance and Administration
   • A city with diverse people and occupations needs rules.
   • Civilisations, therefore, had some form of authority—rulers, priest-kings, councils—to maintain order, collect taxes, or organize public works.
7. Culture and Belief Systems
   • Civilised societies reflect on life, death, the cosmos, and human purpose.
   • These thoughts are expressed through literature, oral traditions, temples, sculptures, and rituals—forming the cultural fabric of civilisation.

Civilisations Across the Ancient World

Now that we understand what a civilisation is, let’s see where they emerged:

Civilisation	Region	Time Period (Approx.)
Mesopotamian	Between Tigris and Euphrates	~4000 BCE
Egyptian	Along Nile River	~3100 BCE
Harappan	Indus Valley (NW Indian Subcontinent)	~2600 BCE
Chinese	Yellow River (Huang He) Valley	Later than the above

These are known as Riverine Civilisations because they flourished along riverbanks. Rivers provided:

• Water for agriculture
• Means of transport and trade
• Fertile soil due to periodic flooding

Harappan Civilisation: India’s First Urban Age

• The Harappan civilisation, also known as the Indus Valley Civilisation, represents the first phase of urbanisation in the Indian subcontinent.
• Its cities, like Harappa and Mohenjodaro, were planned, had advanced drainage, public buildings, and specialised crafts.
• This civilisation is contemporaneous with Mesopotamia and Egypt—showing that India was never isolated but a vibrant part of the ancient world.

Later, the second urbanisation in India occurred around 6th century BCE in the Gangetic plains, during the time of Mahajanapadas and the rise of Buddhism and Jainism.

Conclusion

So, a civilisation is not just about buildings or temples—it is a systematic, interdependent organisation of agriculture, cities, trade, governance, art, and belief systems. The Harappan civilisation stands as a testament to how advanced ancient India was, right from its earliest stages.