What is the greatest civilazation of all time?

The native hawaiian people had a great culture before we messed it up.

The Mongols are one of the most misunderstood groups of people in history. Here is a little story: Ghengis Khan's reputation was so terrible that when Peking surrendered to him in 1215, sixty thousand girls avoided capture by throwing themselves from the walls to their deaths. But Ghengis was not crueler than other rulers of his time-only more successful. He once controlled have of the known world. Long Live Spicy McHaggis



Zip it up and Zip it out

i agree.

aloha lil'k

In my opinion the minoic civilization in Crete was the best of the Ancient World, since they didn't need walls to feel sure because they had a great armada, besides they had clever constructions, & a peculiar religion, can you imagine their dances with bulls?

Funny enough - I was going to pick the Tahitians as some of the happier members of humanity prior to Western contact.

I can't say that there is a 'right' answer. Up to WWI if your civilisation wasn't grabbing as much land as it could and getting the shiftless natives to hand over as much produce as possible then you weren't 'great'. Then, to the Aztecs the 'greatest' thing was to make sure that human blood has being spilt to make sure the Sun rose every day. Don't know how they would rate the culture of Tibet.

'Dances with Bulls' - doesn't quite have the ring to it, now does it?

Greatest civilization huh? I'd hand the palm to the Canadians, never met a friendlier, more civil bunch in my life.

What about the ancient Persians? I'm not saying they were the greatest of all civilizations, but they shure did contribute.

2500 years ago, the great Persian king wrote the first charter of human rights. After capturing Babylon he also allowed the return of jews to Israel.




The first Charter of Human Rights written 2500 years ago
I am Kourosh (Cyrus), great king,…Now that I put the crown of the kingdom of Iran, Babylon, and the nations of the four directions on the head with the help of Ahura, I announce that I will respect the traditions, customs and religions of the nations of my empire and never let any of my governors and subordinates look down on or insult them while I am alive. …I will impose my monarchy on no nation. Each is free to accept it, and if any one of them rejects it, I never resolve on war to reign. While I am the king…I will never let anyone oppress others,… I will never let anyone take possession of movable and landed properties of the others by force or without compensation. While I am alive, I will prevent unpaid, forced labour. Today, I announce that everyone is free to choose a religion.…No one could be penalised for his or her relatives' faults…


That's pretty incredible for being a 2500 year-old charter.

Western Civilization without a doubt, and hands down. The only real competition is the Chinese Civilization.

The problem posed by this thread is that there is no objective standards by which one civilization can be judged against another. Hence, each person will find some subjective reason for their personal choice.

Here are some factors that might be a bit more objective:

* The span of time during which the civilization existed. When did it exist, and for how long?

* The number of people living within the civilization over its life time.

* The number of people outside the civilization that were/are impacted in major ways during its life, and after it faded into relative obscurity.

* Both the stability and growth of the civilization over time.

* The degree to which the civilization was/is able to provide the necessities of life to it's citizens. Economic and political structures are probably intrinsic to this element.

* The products of the civilization. By this I mean what came into existence as a result of the civilization. Inventions and technology are one side of the coin. Art in all its wondrous forms is the other side.

Even trying to compare civilizations using these and other criteria is more an "art" than a "science". How can one make valid comparisons between civilizations that are separated by millennia? What makes a set a civilization? Was the Soviet Union only a political unit, or was it a civilization that failed in less than a hundred years? How does one balance the idea of democracy in 5th century Greece against the "natural" democracy that existed among some aboriginal tribes right up until the 20th century? Are democratic institutions truly better than an enlightened and liberal authoritarian structure? Which is better the democratic systems that exist in many emerging countries today, or the kingly rule of Asoka (274-232 BCE) in India? How does one weight the evolution and change that takes place in even the most stagnant social structures? How does one definitely establish that a civilization ceases to exist, or begin for that matter? How does one calculate sub-groups within a larger civilization? Can the American Civilization be established as different from Western Civilization? How big must a social group, and how distinct must it be, to be labeled a civilization?

Oh well, have fun.

My own opinions on great civilizations well, they would go the way of the American Indian or Native Hawaiians as well...but, that is due to what I think of when I want to think of a great civilization. However, I also believe in another area of thought that Egypt and Rome along with China have had great areas of civilization. Like the list Jes puts forth...I think you have to narrow it down to 'in what means' of greatness.

BTW...NY allows for topless bathing.

I'll stick with the Canajuns . . . not only are they very civil, the food is really inexpensive, and the right of women in Tarana to go topless is protected by law . . . of course, i'm disappointed that more of them don't exercise their legal rights . . .

I hate to speak definitively because it is politically incorrect, especially if a statement is made that is Euro-centric, however, as an historian I can tell you that without a doubt the Roman Empire was the worlds greatest civilization. It made the world. Not that chronology is the last word but the empire existed from 753 BCE to 1453 CE. No other people can make even a remotely qualified statement in this regard. To this day as I go thru my life I frequently notice that there are things about my life and my world that have been handed down to me from the Roman Empire.

Well, if you were living in Beijing you might see it somewhat differently. The Chinese were enjoying the equivalent of Shakespeare and Puccini, their own cuisine (with take-out!), fine wines, books, internal peace and a vast trading network whilst the proto-Romans were hitting trees with sticks to harvest acorns for their swine. Ditto for Meso-America.

I realise we see 'history' through a very narrow opening. The Romans were great administrators, but the Empire even at its height wouldn't match that of the British who took over entire continents and for a while there had a commercial interest in what must have been the greatest part of the world's GDP.

Ants are quite civilized, if you ask me.

They seem to be more pervasive and numerous than any human civilization, and their manner is certainly more honest and direct. Their division of labor is based more upon the actual capabilities of the individuals involved, and the tasks they successfully undertake reflect quite impressively upon their organization and flexibility, given the scant resources at their disposal. Not to mention the proportional strength-to-size thing.

Their contributions in the areas of biocomposting and ecosystem balancing, as well as highly nutritional foodstuff generation have greatly exceeded any human endeavor throughout history. They are not shy about producing the most menial of labor, nor the most grandiose of social structures. Their chemical senses are far more accute and responsive than ours, their communication simple and direct, and their group mob mentality is actually *greater* than the individual intellect!

I'm curious as to the evolution of their culture, as I believe they may well play a role in history far longer than human civilization itself. Far be it for me to cast judgements upon another society, but if we do not limit our thinking to the rich-white-European-human-male type of historical perspective, I believe the ant to be quite impressive and morally imperturbable as compared to any other civilization I have observed thus far. Beware the humble yet magnificently diligent ant!

The Ottoman Empire made Great Furniture...

Atlantis: which had the common sense to disappear prior to becoming obnoxious.

The Klingon Empire raised the humble omlette to the status of 'must-have' headwear. Did wonders for sales of blood-wine too.

yeah the mongols
yeah i think the mongols were the greatest civilization ever but not just because of that because well wat can i say. they were at 1 time the largest civilization ever, and the fact that the mongols had amazing physical strengths. in modern day a grown man could use a bow with comfort that wieghs 20 30 or40 pounds. whereas the mongols at the time of Ghengis khan could use a 120 pound bow and fire 270m at a target and hit with accuracy. Ghengis was a very smart man. he used a numerical systme with his troops that to cut a long story short would make sure he had the finest troops on the battlefield. the mongol warrior carried on his horse 2 types of bow 1 for short range and 1 for long range . he also carried 3 types of arrows. 1 with a special metal around the tip so it could pierce the armour of a troop. he also carried arrows for short range special tip and a normal arrow for normal shot. a mongol warrior carried 600 arrows into battle.

Mr Khan, does war make society civilized?

Also, how many ants do you think surrounded all those Mongols,
and actually helped grow, feed and sustain them
while the Mongols did nothing for the ants in return?


(Welcome to A2K, btw! :-) I think you'll enjoy it here...)

CodeBorg most of thoughs ants that helped the mongols were mostly scared of thier military dominance. and the main reason that i think they were the greatest civ was... as i said Gengis' numerical system and what i didnt mention was that their conquest of world domination was the most succesful of all time, they owned nearly half of the world.Not to mention their physical prowess