Civilization is usually defined as more than just the development of permanent settlements. Permanent settlements existed in the fertile crescent during the neo

Civilization is usually defined as more than just the development of permanent settlements. Permanent settlements existed in the fertile crescent during the neolithic for thousands of years before civilizations emerged in that region during the early bronze age. What characterizes civilizations is the emergence of stratified societies in those settlements, with specialized classes of people such as priests and metalworkers, who relied on others to provide them with food.