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{{Short description|Theories on identifying cradles of civilizations}}
{{Expand language|topic=|langcode=ja|otherarticle=世界四大文明|date=June 2024}}
In [[Japanese historiography|Japanese]] and [[Chinese historiography]], the {{nihongo|'''Four Great Ancient Civilizations'''|世界四大文明|Sekai yon dai bunmei|lead=yes}} ({{Lang-zh|t=四大文明古國|s=四大文明古国|p=Sì Dà Wénmíng Gǔ Guó}}) were [[ancient Egypt|Egypt]], [[Ancient Near East|Mesopotamia]], [[Ancient India|India]], and [[Ancient China|China]], which are identified as the [[Cradle of civilization|cradles of civilization]]. The concept is popularly used in Japan and China—for example in history [[Textbook|textbooks]]—but not generally known in the [[western world]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=川尻 |first=文彦 |date=2010-03-25 |title=近代中国における「文明」――明治日本の学術と梁啓超 |trans-title=The Reformulation of Concepts and Intellectual Systems in Modern East Asia |url=https://nichibun.repo.nii.ac.jp/records/2494 |journal=東アジア近代における概念と知の再編成 |language=ja |volume=35 |page=154 |doi=10.15055/00002488}}</ref>

== Origin ==
The origins of the phrase are unclear.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last=川尻 |first=文彦 |date=2010-03-25 |title=近代中国における「文明」――明治日本の学術と梁啓超 |url=https://nichibun.repo.nii.ac.jp/records/2494 |journal=東アジア近代における概念と知の再編成 |language=ja |volume=35 |pages=131–160}}</ref> According to one theory, it originated with Japanese archaeologist {{Ill|Namio Egami|qid=Q11550613}}; his colleague [[Masaaki Sugiyama]] recalled that Egami used to say that he coined the phrase. The first known occurrence of the phrase "four great civilizations" can be traced to a textbook titled {{nihongo|''Revised World History''|再訂世界史|Saitei sekaishi}}, published by in 1952 by the Yamakawa Publishing Company, where Egami worked.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=淳志 |first=村井 |date=April 2009 |title=この歴史用語--誕生秘話と生育史の謎を解く--「四大文明」は江上波夫氏が発案した造語だった! |url=https://cir.nii.ac.jp/crid/1520854805104700672 |journal=社会科教育 |language=ja |volume=46 |issue=4 |pages=116–121}}</ref>

Another theory is that the term originates with [[Liang Qichao]], a Chinese intellectual that lived during the late [[Qing dynasty]].<ref name=":0" /> Specifically, in his 1900 poem {{Ill|Song of the Pacific in the 20th Century|lt=''Song of the Pacific in the 20th Century''|qid=Q10880067}} ({{Lang-zh|c=二十世纪太平洋歌}}), he wrote "there are four motherlands of ancient civilizations on earth: China, India, Egypt, and Asia Minor" ({{Lang-zh|c=地球上古文明祖國有四：中國、印度、埃及、小亞細亞是也}}).<ref name=":0" /> This view of civilization was also influenced by Japanese thinkers such as Fukuzawa Yukichi, Ukita Zautami and Kayahara Kazan, who in turn were influenced by the western concept of a [[cradle of civilization]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=石川 |first=禎浩 |date=2019-01-31 |title=中国近現代における文明史観の受容と展開 : 兼ねて「四大文明」説の由来を論ず (特集 : 文明) |url=https://repository.kulib.kyoto-u.ac.jp/dspace/handle/2433/240864 |journal=史林 |language=ja |volume=102 |issue=1 |pages=152–187 |doi=10.14989/shirin_102_152 |issn=0386-9369}}</ref>

Liang Qichao divided the [[World history (field)|history of the world]] into three ages: the river age, the sea age, and the ocean age. The Four Great Ancient Civilizations originated in the river age and all of them developed along [[river]]s. Scholars believe that they were all built near rivers because there were fixed water sources that made it easier for [[agriculture]] and [[commerce]] to develop. Human beings are clearly inseparable from water, but some historians believe that at the beginning of Chinese civilization, it first occurred in the mountains and then expanded to river areas.<ref>「世多謂文明起源於河流，吾謂吾國文明，實先發生于山嶽。蓋吾國地居大陸，人種之生，本不限於一地，其擁部眾而施號令者，必具居高臨下之勢，始可以控制多方。...其後漸次混合，謀便交通，始有開闢河流，製作舟楫之事。此事實之次序，固可以理測度者也。」見：[https://web.archive.org/web/20101214221631/http://www.china.com.cn/book/txt/2008-11/06/content_16722475.htm 《中國文化史》（柳詒徵）第一章中國人種之起源]</ref>

== Overview ==
=== History ===
Between 7000 and 5000 years ago, in the [[Northern Hemisphere]], the [[Mesopotamia]], [[Nile]], [[Indus]], and [[Ganges]] basins, as well as the [[Yellow River]] and [[Yangtze River]] basins, successively produced the world's Four Great Ancient Civilizations. These four civilizations successively entered the [[Bronze Age]] from the [[Neolithic Age]], and then entered the [[Iron Age]]. Much of the [[philosophy]], [[science]], [[literature]], [[art]] and other aspects of knowledge that humans possess today can generally be traced back to the contributions of these ancient civilizations.{{Cn|date=September 2024}}

Among the [[social]] systems of the Four Great Ancient Civilizations, Egypt and Babylon adopted [[slavery]], India implemented the [[Caste system in India|caste system]], and China adopted the [[Fengjian|feudal system]] and the [[well-field system]] before the [[Spring and Autumn period]] and the [[Warring States period]]. Each civilization had its own [[myth]]s and [[legend]]s. The state entities were born later. In ancient times, religious myths were used to strengthen monarchy. The ruler of Babylon [[Hammurabi]] claimed to be a descendant of the moon god [[Sin (mythology)|Sin]], the ancient Egyptian [[Pharaoh]] claimed to be the son of the sun god [[Ra]], the Chinese monarch claimed to be the [[Son of Heaven]], and the Indian emperor called himself [[Chakravarti (Sanskrit term)]], literally meaning: he whose wheels (of chariot) are moving,".

The Four Great Ancient Civilizations all have their own [[calendar]]s, each year is divided into 12 months and has [[Intercalation (timekeeping)|leap months]]. Each civilization created its own [[writing]]. Civilizations in the Indus, Yellow and Mesopotamia river basins all used pottery wheels to make [[pottery]]. Egypt and Mesopotamia both calculated [[pi]] earlier, and China discovered the [[Pythagorean theorem]] earlier (or its practical application), while India invented Indian numerals ([[Arabic numerals]]).<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.stnn.cc/arts/200702/t20070201_453082.html |title=天文学家的发明阿拉伯数字起源于印度 |access-date=2009-11-26 |archive-date=2009-11-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091126133616/http://www.stnn.cc/arts/200702/t20070201_453082.html }}</ref>

== See also ==
* [[Civilization state]]
* [[Five thousand years of Chinese civilization]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

[[Category:Historiography of China]]
[[Category:Historiography of Egypt]]
[[Category:Historiography of India]]
[[Category:Ancient Near East]]
[[Category:Cradle of civilization]]
[[Category:Historiography of Japan]]

Four Great Ancient Civilizations - Revision history

BuyMetabolicSolutionsKeto at 02:56, 4 May 2026