The Rise and Fall of Civilizations

3.0 credits · Undergraduate

“Civilization” carries heavy baggage. To “be civilized” is to be part of an admirable version of human culture, to appreciate and foster its finest achievements, to behave with intelligence and grace. The appearance of civilizations is often represented as a watershed in human history. We will examine the earliest societies in several regions – including Mesopotamia, Egypt, India, China, Mesoamerica, and the Andes – that have been considered civilizations. We will compare their organization, expansion, and dissolution. Rather than search for a definition that separates civilizations from other kinds of societies, we will emphasize their diversity and their development from simpler predecessors.