Natural Syria – Part 6

Civilization:

What is Civilization?
What is the Importance of Civilization?

After a thorough research on the Meaning of Civilization and its definition, Many Scholars, Philosophers or the Like have addressed this concept from different perspective, shedding light on its various meanings, Yet, every attempt poured into a common conclusion:
Civilization is the Transformation from a Nomad way of Life to a settled way of Life.

In other words, Civilization is usually understood to be a complex society characterized by the practice of agriculture and settlement in cities.

Let us try to simplify the above.
Building a house requires resources such as Time, Material and Knowledge (Architectural and Structural), not to mention a thorough understanding of one’s environment.
Since the Nomad Way of life does not provide the above required elements, then Nomads cannot build a house, let alone a city or a more complex Community. Thus the fundamentals of developing life with advanced understanding of its values and qualities cannot be achieved by moving from one place to another as a systematic way of life.

Music needs Vision, talent, Instruments, Language, Ideas and feelings that provoke one’s Potential to create it, To have such, it takes Peace of Mind, a sense of security that food and shelter are available at all times.

The same applies on Poetry, Engineering Law Making, and all sorts of achievements that cater for a better Life, and certainly a Nomad does not have what it takes to provide the grounds to Create and improve.

So where does Civilization start from?

To start exploring the Potential of Inventing, Improvising, Creating and Establishing, an ethnic group needs to be settled in one place for a long period of time, meaning for generations to follow. In order to achieve such, continuous supply of food is a vital and essential requirement, which can only be secured by production and not by relying on what Nature provides on its own.

Agriculture is the Name of the Game.

Agriculture = Settlement = Civilization.

Syria is the Nation that Pioneered this task, Introducing Agriculture, Settlement and Civilization to the History of Human Kind. (1)

When Kramer said that HISTORY STARTS AT SUMER, he certainly meant the history of civilization and not the History of MAN KINd, or let’s say the term history is Organically related to the term Civilization, for there is no meaning in terms of Value for history if Civilization had not been established.

Antoun Saadah said: History is the Registration of the course of Life.
Life in its fundamental meaning of Virtues, Values and Qualities, whereby Humans would translate by practice their Natural ability to improve and prosper in harmony of a community's Vision and Character.

How did the first ever civilization in Human Kind history start in Natural Syria, and how did it develop and progress through following generations of ethnicities?
This is what I shall try to address in my next post.

(1) – Jacques Couvin, Les Premiers Villages de Syrie