Civilization is a sometimes controversial term that has been used in several related ways. Primarily, the term has been used to refer to the material and instrumental side of human culture

Culture

Culture is a term that has many different inter-related meanings. For example, in 1952, Alfred Kroeber and Clyde Kluckhohn compiled a list of 164 definitions of "culture" in Culture: A Critical Review of Concepts and Definitions...

s that are complex in terms of technology

Technology

Technology is the making, usage, and knowledge of tools, machines, techniques, crafts, systems or methods of organization in order to solve a problem or perform a specific function. It can also refer to the collection of such tools, machinery, and procedures. The word technology comes ;...

, science

Science

Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...

, and division of labor. Such civilizations are generally urbanized. In a classical context, people were called: "civilized" to set them apart from "Barbarian" people (The Barbarians), while in a modern-day context, "civilized peoples" have been contrasted with "primitive" peoples.

In modern academic discussions however, there is a tendency to use the term in a less strict way, to mean approximately the same thing as "culture

Culture

Culture is a term that has many different inter-related meanings. For example, in 1952, Alfred Kroeber and Clyde Kluckhohn compiled a list of 164 definitions of "culture" in Culture: A Critical Review of Concepts and Definitions...

" and therefore, the term can more broadly refer to any important and clearly defined human society, particularly in historical discussions.