Big Picture Questions

1. How does historians’ use of the term “civilization” differ from popular usage? How do you use it?
2. “Civilizations were held together largely by force.” Do you agree with this assessment, or were there other mechanisms of integration as well?
3. How did the various First Civilizations differ from one another?
4. Looking Back: To what extent did civilizations represent “progress” in comparison with earlier Paleolithic and Neolithic societies? And in what ways did they constitute a setback for humankind?