View Full Version : Greatest civilization?
Which civilization do you think is the greatest? I'm torn between Greek, Chinese and Roman civilizations, because they all have a very important part in world history.
When you say Chinese civilisation, do you mean ancient Chinese only ? It would make more sense as the other are all ancient and you didn't choose medieval civilisations like the Arabs, Aztecs or Incas. But what about ancient India ?
I would consider Greece and Rome as the same civilisation, given their proximity, almost identical religion and numerous exchanges (upper-class Romans used to study in Greece and speak Greek as well as Latin).
Yes, I meant ancient Chinese.
I forgot about Ancient India and Aztec civilization. It seems I also forgot about Persian and Hebrew Civilizations.
I have modified that. Shall I merge Greeks with Romans to make Greco-Roman civilisation ?
Yeah, I guess so. Thanks anyway.
And my vote goes to the Greco-Roman civilisation. :-)
It isn't ancient, but I vote for the modern global civilization. It is hard to compare meso American to Egyptian, Greco-Roman to Indus River Valley, Mesopotamian to Chinese... What gets points and what criterion are we using? I like the aesthetics of Japanese culture, but much of it is not all that ancient. On the other hand great civilizations in the Americas and Africa... kind of died out and left only ruins behind. (What legacy does the ancient Zimbabwe or Maya culture leave to us...) And simply because an ancient society never left great philosophy or literature, or never had technology... does that score them lower?
Right here, right now- there is no other place I'd rather be.
Right here, right now- watching the world wake up from history.
Greco-Roman Here.
I am very impressed with them. Not to say that I'm not with the others, but more so with the Greco-Roman.
It isn't ancient, but I vote for the modern global civilization. It is hard to compare meso American to Egyptian, Greco-Roman to Indus River Valley, Mesopotamian to Chinese...
I don't think that was the point of the poll to choose "modern global civilization" when it's clearly about specific ancient cvilisations. Therefore I removed the option "other", as there are no real other ancient civilisations that we know of (btw, "ancient" means until about the 5th or 6th century CE). Even Japanese civilisation start in medieaval times, like the Maya.
I'm not certain where your definition of "ancient" comes from. Most scholars (according to my extensive "Google" scholarship :) ) seem to include the now extinct new world civilizations and the Ainu and older Japanese civilization. And there are dozens of other ancient civilizations apart from the ones you listed. I would include the Anasazi, Maya, Inca, Aztec, Olmec, Toltec, Miami, Red Paint, Clovis, (and 50 other new world civilizations) Mali, Songhai, Sudan, Kush, Axumite, (and a few other African Civilizations) Assyria, Sumerian, Mitani, Uratha, Babylonia, Persia, Mede (as all separate entities), There is a list at the bottom of this page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_history
And although I don't mind leaving the criterion open, but the discussion of how you determine or measure "greatest" is definitely intriguing.
Well, as an amateur historian who almost became a professional historian, Ancient Times finish at the same time everywhere and that corresponds roughly to the fall of the Roman Empire in Europe, North Africa and the Middle East, the fall of the Gupta Empire in India. In other words "Medieval Times" by Western standard (mine) corresponds to the rise of Islam, the beginning of the Sui and Tang dynasties in China, the Yamato and Nara periods in Japan, of the decline of the Classic Maya period.
Sorry, I mistook when I said Maya above, so I have added it. There is little need including the smaller American and Middle Eastern civilisation in a poll for the greatest one... Anyway, I think it is better to avoid confusion by adding to many small civs or an option "Other", as people like you might think of later civilisations .
The Ancient Greek civilization :-)
Silverbackman
05-06-06, 02:02
What about Teotihuacan civilization? It was one of the largest Mezo-American civilizations.
As for my pic, I can't really say. Probably a tie between Chinese, Greco-Roman, and Indian civilization.
What about Teotihuacan civilization? It was one of the largest Mezo-American civilizations.
Teotihuacan is a city. It belonged to the Maya-Mixtec-Aztec civilisation. So you could vote for Maya if you want to vote for them.
MikawaObasan
09-03-07, 22:19
The reconstruction of the Roman Empire was roughly the size of today's European Union. I wonder if they would be willing to accept Canada into the EU if we wanted to. I want to have Canada in.
What about "other"?
How about the communities set up during the Spanish Civil War?
Ha!
Actually, I know little about that time/place, except that like all other
attempts at similar situations this too had been smashed by the outside and not been able to exist or fall on its own merits.
Chinese civilization were greatest.
Chinese civilization were greatest.
Would you care to explain why you think so ? That would be more interesting for the discussion. :satisfied:
I also voted for Greco-Roman civilization for many of the reasons stated here; when I think of western civilization almost all of it stems from the Greeks.
MOHAMMEd21
13-06-09, 22:12
I`ll say the egyptien one
not because I`m egyptien but cause it was the first cilivization ever and other cilivizations imitated it
I`ll say the egyptien one
not because I`m egyptien but cause it was the first cilivization ever and other cilivizations imitated it
That's not true. The Mesopotamian, Greek, Kurgan, Indus and Chinese civilizations all started around the same time as the Egyptian one, if not earlier.
It could be argued that the Western European Megalithic civilization also started earlier than the Egyptian one as some megaliths are older than the first pyramids. The oldest megaliths are 7000 years old. The Predynastic Period of ancient Egypt started 5000 years ago.
It all depends on what you call "civilization". Is a primitive Neolithic agricultural society without cities and without a state a civilization ? I don't think so.
MOHAMMEd21
14-06-09, 12:55
That's not true. The Mesopotamian, Greek, Kurgan, Indus and Chinese civilizations all started around the same time as the Egyptian one, if not earlier.
It could be argued that the Western European Megalithic civilization also started earlier than the Egyptian one as some megaliths are older than the first pyramids. The oldest megaliths are 7000 years old. The Predynastic Period of ancient Egypt started 5000 years ago.
It all depends on what you call "civilization". Is a primitive Neolithic agricultural society without cities and without a state a civilization ? I don't think so.
the egyptien civilization was exist before the discovery of writing
and if we tlak about the civilization Prehistoric you will see the badery and fayome civilizations
now egyptologist say that egyptiens discovered the Agriculture 12500 B.c
and when egypt unified in the first time about 4400B.c egypt was reached along way with civilization
Now we are in the year 6227 in the egyptien years and that`s means that ancient eyptiens discovered the Solar calendar 6227 years ago
and to discover that you need too much knowldage and that`s means the the civiliaztion was earlier .
all the europien civilizations were mainly taked from greece and everybody know that greeks get it from Egypt
there was american writer called martine palner who said that all the greece civilization is pharaonic and half of the language is egyptien
do you know that the world desert in egyptien mean the red land or the yello land and we said it "deshert" that`s for example
also you can read Legacy of Egypt to w. dawson to know how much the greece took from us
and for sur you red the book Stolen Legacy to George G. M. James
the eastern civilization like indian or chiness starte too early I`ll not dnay that but it didn`t effect in the human civilization march (little effects)
And my vote goes to the Greco-Roman civilisation. :-)
I agree.
The Egyptians had a great civilization. The Mesopotamians had a great civilization.
But first in time is not necessarily best. :good_job:
the egyptien civilization was exist before the discovery of writing
Many civilizations did. But the first writing system originated in Mesopotamia, not in Egypt. Europe may also have predated Egypt for early writing, with the Vinča symbols (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vin%C4%8Da_signs) (in South-East Europe) going back to 8,000 years ago.
The oldest pyramids known on earth are not those of Egypt, but those of Visočica hill (or Grad hill) (http://www.eupedia.com/forum/showthread.php?t=24325) in the Bosnia. Some archaeologists estimated that they could be up to 14,000 years old, although the actual date is probably closer to 9,000 years old.
Now we are in the year 6227 in the egyptien years and that`s means that ancient eyptiens discovered the Solar calendar 6227 years ago
and to discover that you need too much knowldage and that`s means the the civiliaztion was earlier .
Stone circles like in Stonehenge (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stonehenge) were also used as calendars. Although the stone version is "only" 5,000 years old (like the Pyramids of Giza), there is evidence of an earlier site going back to 10,000 years ago.
all the europien civilizations were mainly taked from greece and everybody know that greeks get it from Egypt
Not Western European Megalithic civilizations.
there was american writer called martine palner who said that all the greece civilization is pharaonic and half of the language is egyptien
That's possible in the case of pre-Mycaenian Egypt. Y-DNA has indeed confirmed a high presence of haplogroup E1b1b in Greece stemming from Egypt.
Roman, without Greek(Vizantia), because Ellins were successor of Roman and have not thought up nothing. And they were patinet successor, because they had not create a new directions in art and philosopher idea by they fall.
But, of course, old Greek, were great civilizations.
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