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Kendall Sheppard
Dr. Peterson
History 1311
October 25, 2017
What Defines a Civilization?
Different characteristics of civilizations have shaped numerous amounts of cultures all
around the world since the beginning of time. What defines a civilization and what
characteristics it must encompass has changed from time to time as larger themes have been
broken down into smaller categories. However, overall, almost all of the cultures from the
beginning of time to the present day have shared common characteristics on a more general
scale. Whether that be involving things such as religion, the military, or the government,
different societies all around the world have shared similar aspects as things have been passed on
from one culture to the next, and been altered as time has gone on. Although the civilizations that
developed in Native America and Africa may not have been as big or influential as some larger
civilizations, they both displayed similar characteristics that encouraged the development of their
own culture.
One characteristic seen in both of these civilizations is the subordination of women.
There were several rules and social norms that were established that caused gender inequality
and put women in a place of inferiority under men. They were not treated fairly in many aspects
and although some cultures allowed women to do more than others, women never gained
completely equal rights to that of men. For example, Aztec men in Native America were usually
selected for military service, governmental positions, or priesthood, most of which were not
allowed for women. However, although Aztec women were supposed to work in the home and
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take care of the children, some of them had the opportunity to become a priest. Arranged
marriages were also social norm that was initiated by the man’s family as they usually picked a
woman of high social status, so that it might benefit their own. Another tribe in Native America,
known as the Inca, had strictly regulated marriages and men and women were only allowed to
marry within the tribe. However, one way for women to escape marriage was to become what
was known as a “chosen virgin”. There were different classes of these women but most of them
were not allowed to even speak to men and if they lost their virginity, they could be sentenced to
being buried alive. A majority of these “chosen” Inca women worked as seamstresses or farmers
but a small portion of them were selected to sleep with the ruler of the Inca empire which clearly
shows that women were subordinate to men. This was also prevalent in the African culture as
women were mainly valued for their work or their ability to increase the size of the family as
