European civilization is not an extension of classical civilization or a replica of it; they are not the same. If classical civilization and Greco-Roman civilization are native civilizations, then European civilization is secondary civilizations, and Japanese civilization is the same, whether Japanese civilization is independent or belongs to which civilization, it is not a native civilization.
——Hou Jianxin
According to this standard, where are the five major centers of civilization? The first is Mesopotamia, that is, the two river basins, Iran, Iraq are within this range, followed by ancient Egypt, ancient India, China, and the Cretan civilization on the Aegean Sea, which is the predecessor of Greek civilization. The five major civilization centers are distinctive, and they are all linked to water and sea at the beginning, which is also a feature of the development of early civilization.
In the history of the world, the five major civilization centers are the birthplace of the earliest civilization, and these five major civilizations are the five central points, which belong to the original civilization, and then continue to spread and evolve into various new civilizations. So how many civilizations have evolved from the original civilization? Toynbee is a famous British historian known as the "wise men of the 20th century", according to his statistics there are about twenty civilizations, some of which continue to exist, some of which have ended. So, what are the major civilizations of the world right now? What does European civilization have to do with it? Let's take a look at the major civilizations of the contemporary world.
Chinese, Islamic, Orthodox, Latin American, Indian and European civilizations are the six main civilizations of the contemporary world. The following focuses on the scope of European civilization, the region of European civilization is mainly in Europe, but it is not strictly geographical, such as the Eastern Europe we just said, it does not belong to the mainstream civilization of Europe. The mainstream civilization in Europe is dominated by Western Europe, including southern Europe, northern Europe, and Central Europe. In addition, North America and Oceania should also belong to the category of European civilization. The United States is too closely related to Europe, it is itself a country established by European immigrants, and it is very closely related to European languages, religions, and ideas.
European civilization is now commonly known as Western civilization, which can also be said to be North Atlantic civilization. Huntington, the author, should be known to everyone, he is the author of "Clash of Civilizations". He is the world's largest researcher of civilization, so his views also represent the views of a considerable number of world historians. He proposed that Japanese civilization is an independent civilization, and he also felt that African civilization also had its problems. Another of his points is that some civilizations have come to an end, such as the Cretan civilization in the five centers of civilization we mentioned earlier, that is, the Greek civilization. Greek civilization and Roman civilization are linked, so they are sometimes called Greco-Roman civilization. The West loves to use the word "classical", so classical civilization is a specialized discipline.
Next, we will talk about the relationship between European civilization and classical civilization, which involves when I have defined European civilization as it began. Of course, this is debatable, but I think the prevailing view now is that European civilization and classical civilization are related and at the same time different. European civilization is not an extension of classical civilization or a replica of it; they are not the same. If classical civilization and Greco-Roman civilization are native civilizations, then European civilization is secondary civilizations, and Japanese civilization is the same, whether Japanese civilization is independent or belongs to which civilization, it is not a native civilization. So, where did European civilization come from? Classical civilization is one of its sources. The Roman Empire was a Greco-Roman civilization, a classical civilization. During the European Renaissance, why did people at that time say that they would revive to ancient times? For they think that Roman civilization is the most glorious, that they are the extensions of Roman civilization, and now they want to restore it to its former glory. Another source is the civilization established by the Germanic peoples. The Germans occupied all of Europe and built a new civilization on the ruins of the Roman Empire. Another source is Christianity. Christianity has surpassed theism in the European Middle Ages, and whether you believe in God or not, you live within the framework of Christianity, a person from birth to death, born to be baptized, dead to do Mass. Moreover, in the Middle Ages, the church had a court, it had some independent things, the influence was extremely profound, and we will not talk about it today. Therefore, what we call European civilization today has three sources, which are Greco-Roman, Germanic, and Christian.
For European civilization, it has a heritage and difference from the Greco-Roman civilization, and in the main sense, it is a secondary civilization. In fact, the tradition of European civilization was laid down in the Middle Ages, when we talked about the Middle Ages before, we often associated with the dark and cruel Middle Ages, but in fact, such a statement is basically impossible to establish now, because the first civilization in modern times to enter the industrialization and modernization of Europe, it is from the Middle Ages, how can it suddenly change from darkness to light? This does not make logical sense. In addition, we see that the formation of many things is in the Middle Ages, such as universities, and we mention that universities today have to start from European universities, which in the 12th century already had oxford, Cambridge and other world-renowned universities.
So did European civilization have a dark period? I think there is a dark period, where is the dark period? It was the period we just talked about when the barbarians invaded, then Rome fell, from the fifth century to the eighth and ninth centuries. Europe created a feudal system in the eighth and ninth centuries, and then a new order was established. From the eighth and ninth centuries to the fifth century, it was in a period of chaos, which can be said to be in a stage of painful groping, with violence and no order.
But after the ninth century, there was indeed a different situation, and we are only talking about one character here, and everyone can remember that this character still has a certain role in understanding this history. There was a Frankish kingdom whose ruler in its most glorious period was called Charles, and he was generally called Charlemagne. The red peach K in the playing cards is related to his image, so he is called the "father of Europe". The kingdom he ruled reached its most glorious period in Europe and became a symbol. Why, then, was Charlemagne of the Frankish Kingdom so famous? Because he had a close relationship with the Pope at the time. There is a tradition in Europe where religion is deeply involved in the regime, and the legitimacy of the king is determined not only by blood, but also by the election of the nobility, but also by the recognition of the pope in the church. When Charles held the celebration, the pope at the time held a coronation ceremony for him, which greatly improved his status, and he was called "Emperor of the Romans" from then on, but this had nothing to do with the Romans. Because at that time, in the impression of Europe, the Roman Empire was the most brilliant. Because Charlemagne received such a title, he entered a very glorious period in the Frankish kingdom.
mentor
marquis
build
new
He is a senior professor of Tianjin Normal University, a doctoral supervisor, the deputy director of the Academic Committee of the University, the convener of the World History Discipline Review Group of the Degree Committee of the State Council, an expert of the National Social Science Foundation Review Group, and the president of the Chinese Society of World Medieval History. Distinguished Professor of Nanjing University. His research interests are: British and European economic and social history, European civilization, and the history of Chinese and foreign modernization. Representative monographs include: "A New Theory on the Origin of Capitalism", "Western Europe and China in the Period of Social Transformation", "Peasants, Markets and Social Change: Perspectives on the 11 Villages in Jizhong and Comparison with the English Countryside", "The First Cornerstone of Modernization: The Growth of Individual Peasant Power and Social Change in the Late Middle Ages", etc.
This article is based on the lecture recording, exclusive copyright, please be sure to contact when reprinting;
The pictures in the text are from the Internet, if there is infringement, please contact to delete!
Editor: Niu Yajie
Review: Gao Qiaoyan
Li Boqian | the evolution of ancient Chinese civilization from kingdom to empire
Make reading a habit and let the soul have the temperature
Adhering to tradition fits the contemporary