Ancient American Civilizations

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Ancient American Civilizations

Cultural development can be separated into three categories of

increasing intellect and complexity. Tribal is the lowest form of

civilization, Chiefdom the intermediate level, and finally the state

level, which represents the highest form of civilization in Ancient

America.

The tribal band represented the basic primitive level of civilization.

In Ancient America, the tribal level was a loose association of bands

or villages. The ties between these villages represented a “tribe.”

Many of these early groups sustained life in difficult environments,

in which climate extremes were usually always present. These climate

conditions such as extreme heat, wetlands, and thick woods greatly

obstructed the development of the tribal civilization. Tribal

civilization relied on fishing, collecting, and hunting. Tribal bands

were typically nomadic, moving around the various terrains in a given

area. Their movements were often repetitious, and would mostly occur

because of food migrations or seasonal plant changes. Tribal groups

that engaged in slash and burn methods tended to move less frequently

than the other tribal bands, as this type of farming provided stable

output. In Ancient America, the tribal civilizations mainly survived

by subsistence farming, this in turn kept their populations low.

Villages and tribes had leaders or in some case chiefs, who displayed

exceptional abilities in communal activities (hunting or battle),

which led to their authority. Many Ancient American Brazilian tribes

of the Amazon basin held intertribal warfare as a way of life. In

fighting, members of the tribe would capture priso...

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...e elite became a weak factor in the state civilizations

as the entire social civilization played a distinct role in running

the territory. The state had an emperor or king which the commoners

supported and held him to be a higher power. To support the state

level structure, intensive farming techniques were used including

terracing, irrigation, and high yields. The state also differed from

the chiefdom in that it had increased regional trade, architectural

monuments, a developing merchant class, and an accurate city outlook.

The three divisions of Ancient American civilization have their

apparent distinctions, but also have some distinct similarities. Each

level builds off the previous in a progressive pattern, as seen in all

stages of cultural development, whether comparing it to Ancient

America or the 20th century.

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