Comprehensive list of civilizations/socities
- Thread starter Asmor
- Start date
Hey! I plugged my wiki first!
Well, yeah, but technically mine's mentioned first on the page!
Persian, definitely.
As already mentioned, Polynesian or 'islander' cultures.
I'd make a single gross division between the city-building Central/South Americans (Aztec, Inca, Maya, Toltec) and the tribal societies and jungle-dwellers.
For the North American natives, I'd divide them based off of region. Desert groups (Apache, Navajo, Hopi), woodland dwellers (Iroquois, Mohican) and plains-dwellers (Athabascan, Lakota?). Each was different enough, IMO, to warrant their own very rough divisions, and yet had certain similiarities because of their environment / lifestyle.
I really don't know enough about Africa, but the city-states of Mali, Zimbabwe, etc. probably should be in one rough category, while the tribal societies like the Zulu could go in another.
As already mentioned, Polynesian or 'islander' cultures.
I'd make a single gross division between the city-building Central/South Americans (Aztec, Inca, Maya, Toltec) and the tribal societies and jungle-dwellers.
For the North American natives, I'd divide them based off of region. Desert groups (Apache, Navajo, Hopi), woodland dwellers (Iroquois, Mohican) and plains-dwellers (Athabascan, Lakota?). Each was different enough, IMO, to warrant their own very rough divisions, and yet had certain similiarities because of their environment / lifestyle.
I really don't know enough about Africa, but the city-states of Mali, Zimbabwe, etc. probably should be in one rough category, while the tribal societies like the Zulu could go in another.
mattdm
First Post
Hey! I plugged my wiki first!
No way man. I plugged your wiki first.
But I just recommended the ENWorld one in another thread, so hopefully my wiki-suggesting karma is well-distributed. 
Huw
First Post
I recently bought Peoples, Nations and Cultures - an A-Z of the peoples of the world, past and present by John MacKenzie. Contains exactly what it says on the cover. I haven't finished reading it yet, but so far I've found it excellent. ISBN 9780304365500 if anyone wants it.
In the spirit of this thread, want me to look up anyone?
In the spirit of this thread, want me to look up anyone?
Choranzanus
Explorer
I think that central asian steppe cultures are distinctive enough from Chinese to warrant mention as a separate culture, even if you are painting with such broad strokes.
Okay, I am not an expert on the history of the Americas or Africa, but I have studied Eurasia a fair bit. Here is my take on things:
Western European:
Includes Britain, France, Germany, and the countries surrounding them. Roman Catholic Church. Familiar to most people. May include parts of Scandinavia (Vikings from Norway became the Normans in England and France).
Iberian,Mediterranean,North African:
A bit of a broad catagory that includes most of the countries that regularly interacted at various points via trade along the Mediterranean Sea. Particularly good for a Roman Era viewpoint. Egypt might qualify as it's own category.
Eastern European:
Includes Russia and Byzantine Empire. Greek Orthodox Church. May also include parts of Scandinavia (Vikings from Sweden founded Russia and had contact with Constantinople).
Middle East:
At various points in history included early Mesopotamian civilizations, Persia, the Umayyad caliphate, and the Abbasid caliphate. Central cities include Damascus and Baghdad.
Central Asian:
Includes Mongols, Afghans, Huns, Turks and the like. Made up of Central Asian steppe dwelling nomadic warriors. Regularly had influences on Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Southern Asia, and China.
Southern Asian:
Includes the numerous countries that made up the Indian sub-continent. Even this is a bit too broad, as Southern India and Northern India were more different than Western Europe and Eastern Europe.
East Asia:
Includes China and all of the cultures that fell under it's tremendous cultural influence (Japan, Korea, Vietnam, etc.).
Southeast Asia/Pacific Island:
Includes the Philippines, Indonesia, etc. Though to be honest, this group generally fell under the influence of India and China to varying degrees. I am not an expert on this part of the world, so I may be wrong.
I will leave it to better experts to divide up the Americas and Africa.
Western European:
Includes Britain, France, Germany, and the countries surrounding them. Roman Catholic Church. Familiar to most people. May include parts of Scandinavia (Vikings from Norway became the Normans in England and France).
Iberian,Mediterranean,North African:
A bit of a broad catagory that includes most of the countries that regularly interacted at various points via trade along the Mediterranean Sea. Particularly good for a Roman Era viewpoint. Egypt might qualify as it's own category.
Eastern European:
Includes Russia and Byzantine Empire. Greek Orthodox Church. May also include parts of Scandinavia (Vikings from Sweden founded Russia and had contact with Constantinople).
Middle East:
At various points in history included early Mesopotamian civilizations, Persia, the Umayyad caliphate, and the Abbasid caliphate. Central cities include Damascus and Baghdad.
Central Asian:
Includes Mongols, Afghans, Huns, Turks and the like. Made up of Central Asian steppe dwelling nomadic warriors. Regularly had influences on Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Southern Asia, and China.
Southern Asian:
Includes the numerous countries that made up the Indian sub-continent. Even this is a bit too broad, as Southern India and Northern India were more different than Western Europe and Eastern Europe.
East Asia:
Includes China and all of the cultures that fell under it's tremendous cultural influence (Japan, Korea, Vietnam, etc.).
Southeast Asia/Pacific Island:
Includes the Philippines, Indonesia, etc. Though to be honest, this group generally fell under the influence of India and China to varying degrees. I am not an expert on this part of the world, so I may be wrong.
I will leave it to better experts to divide up the Americas and Africa.
TwinBahamut
First Post
I am honestly not sure if it is really possible to make a list like this at all. Things are just too complicated... I mean, look at Japan, for example. It has certainly had a lot of influence from China, but it is incredibly distinct from China in many other ways. Unlike how most of Europe, the Middle East, and Northern India are unified by the Indo-European language family (which reflects these regions shared genetic and cultural origins), Japan and China's languages belong to totally different language groups. If you look more closely than that, you run into isolated groups like the Basques of northern Spain or the Ainu from northern Japan who have completely different cultural origins than the peoples around them... As a whole, trying to put together a simple list is incredibly difficult, because just about anywhere you look you will find specific examples that defy broad classification.
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