By Andrea Pellarin
For the contemporary mind, city and countryside are often seen as opposite concepts, the first being related to the idea of modernity, as opposed to the idea of nature and primitive life of the latter. This concept established itself over the centuries, especially after the industrial revolution of the 19th century.
Yet, if we go further back in time, 10000 years ago in the area of the Middle East called the Fertile Crescent, where agriculture was born, things take a different perspective.
It is generally agreed that the city, as a centre of civilization could not exist without agriculture. The idea of "civilization" and "city" are strictly connected. They come from the Latin "civitas" and "civilitas" respectively, which, in turn come from "civis," "citizen."
The invention of agriculture had several consequences on humanity. It generated concept that did not exist before, like the one of accumulation of goods and technologies, or the one of human beings as separated from Nature, capable of building their own space. With agriculture, humanity ceased to simply adapt itself to the environment, but started to (sometimes utterly) modify it instead, taking cultivations out of their original areas and introducing them in other environments. Two good examples are rice and wine growing in Asia and Central-Northern Europe respectively: both represented a technological challenge against the environment conditions, which started in the Middle Ages and continued in the Modern Age.
It is in this context that the first agricultural societies, although rooted in the cycles of nature and seasons, elaborated the concept of "civilized man", who "artificially" created a food that otherwise would not exist. This very step marks the difference between man and animals, between Nature and Culture. Again, it is interesting to note the interrelation between ideas. "Culture," often used as synonym of civilization, also comes from Latin "colere", to cultivate.
What we call "culture" indeed is a concept between tradition and innovation. It is tradition in so far it is a set of knowledge, techniques and values which are handed down to us, and it is innovation in so far these knowledge, techniques and values modify the role of human beings in the environment, enabling them to create new realities. Tradition is a successful innovation, and culture is the interface between these two perspectives.
For the contemporary mind, city and countryside are often seen as opposite concepts, the first being related to the idea of modernity, as opposed to the idea of nature and primitive life of the latter. This concept established itself over the centuries, especially after the industrial revolution of the 19th century.
Yet, if we go further back in time, 10000 years ago in the area of the Middle East called the Fertile Crescent, where agriculture was born, things take a different perspective.
It is generally agreed that the city, as a centre of civilization could not exist without agriculture. The idea of "civilization" and "city" are strictly connected. They come from the Latin "civitas" and "civilitas" respectively, which, in turn come from "civis," "citizen."
The invention of agriculture had several consequences on humanity. It generated concept that did not exist before, like the one of accumulation of goods and technologies, or the one of human beings as separated from Nature, capable of building their own space. With agriculture, humanity ceased to simply adapt itself to the environment, but started to (sometimes utterly) modify it instead, taking cultivations out of their original areas and introducing them in other environments. Two good examples are rice and wine growing in Asia and Central-Northern Europe respectively: both represented a technological challenge against the environment conditions, which started in the Middle Ages and continued in the Modern Age.
It is in this context that the first agricultural societies, although rooted in the cycles of nature and seasons, elaborated the concept of "civilized man", who "artificially" created a food that otherwise would not exist. This very step marks the difference between man and animals, between Nature and Culture. Again, it is interesting to note the interrelation between ideas. "Culture," often used as synonym of civilization, also comes from Latin "colere", to cultivate.
What we call "culture" indeed is a concept between tradition and innovation. It is tradition in so far it is a set of knowledge, techniques and values which are handed down to us, and it is innovation in so far these knowledge, techniques and values modify the role of human beings in the environment, enabling them to create new realities. Tradition is a successful innovation, and culture is the interface between these two perspectives.
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