Asia in Human Civilization

Abstract

So far, knowledge of Asian civilizations and their role in the international development has been profoundly strengthened. This article aims to clarify and interpret the way the four greatest ancient Asian civilizations, namely Mesopotamian civilization, Arabian civilization Indus valley civilization and Chinese civilization, arose and evolved, and particularly their main contributions to Asia and the world. The article is divided into three parts. In part 1, I define the concept of civilization and distinguish the difference between civilization and culture. In part 2, I introduce the four above mentioned greatest ancient Asian civilizations and point out their roles in shaping the nature and history of Asia and the world respectively. We finish the article by making some important conclusions in part 3 on the significance of the four discussed civilizations. In short, there can be no doubt that Asia, as the continent of great ancient civilizations, has played an indispensable role in the world development for thousands of years and this will remain an essential value in the future.

Received 17^th August 2017; Revised 23^rd October 2017; Accepted 30^th October 2017