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In order to determine whether or not a society can be considered a civilization, it is essential to have a clear definition of the word itself. Webster's dictionary defines a civilization as an advanced state of intellectual, cultural, and material development in human society, marked by progress in the arts and sciences, the extensive use of writing, and the appearance of complex political and social institutions. While this may seem to be an acceptable definition, in the world of archeology, it simply isn't elaborate enough. V. Gordon Childe, a famous archeologist, created ten conditions, which he felt needed to be fulfilled in order to consider a society a civilization. While each of Childe's ten conditions are all of importance, it is essentially incorrect to assume that a society is not a civilization simply because it does not fulfill all of the conditions. Two of the ten conditions which are well defined and clearly cut in Childe's work are the concepts of class st!ratification and monumental architecture. It is now essential to define these conditions and then apply them to real societies to prove that they are civilizations. (Childe, 1950: 7, 11) Class stratification is a socially multi-layered structure within a
ilding of Sacsawaman, Cieza wrote that "four thousand laborers quarried and cut the stones, six thousand dug the ditch and laid the foundations, while still other cut poles and beams for the timbers." Other chroniclers have stated that Sacsawaman took over 50 years to build(Hagen and Morris, 1998: 10). It is unquestionable that the Incas put many hours into their architectural structures therefore fulfilling Childe's characteristic. The Mayan Class Structure http://home.eol.ca/~smithda/classstructure.html The Inca Empire http://www.crystal links.com/incan.html In determining whether or not the Incas demonstrated forms of monumental architecture, it is essential to recall the definition stated earlier. A monumental work is one that requires many man hours to create(Erickson Lecture, 11/15/00). Following this definition, it is apparent that the Incas did demonstrate monumental architecture with their elaborate temples and intricate road system. A Descriptive example of the architectural skill of the Incas can be captured through a personal text from Sancho, a Spaniard in Cuzco during the Spanish invasion. While describing the walls of Sacsawaman, a temple fortress in Cuzco, Sancho states that " . . . because they are of such big stones that no one who sees them would say that they have been placed there by the hand of a man." All this, and the Incas did not even discover the wheel. The man hours needed to move stones of that size was very high. Another account from a Spanish invader was that of Cieza. While describing the bu! Morris, Craig and Adriana von Hagen. 1998 City and Countryside in the Inka . Childe's ten characteristics are each good indications of a civilization, but cannot all be used together to determine
Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)
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