I think we have a general view that civilised means we are kind and decent, or some such thing. I think it originally meant societies with public buildings and public life. The really occurs sometimes after farming had for some people replaced hunting and gathering.

When farming generated enough excess to enable trading buildings and organisation were needed that is what was meant by "civilisation" - civic life.

282RA mixes a lot of more or less established facts with a lot of speculation and not much evidence. It's a shame really because the growing story of what some of us have been up to since we left Africa is the most important and exciting story I have ever read.

The Ascent of Man (I Know) by Jacob Brownoski is a great starter but each year or so more and more date about DNA, language, artifacts etc tell the story of how we spread across the planet and what we did as we went.

Guns Germs and Steel by Jared Diamnod and Out of Eden (The Peopling of the world) by Stephen Oppenheimer are excellent recent summaries of our journey. Stone Age cultures certainly created some amazing things but they are us, they are not some less developed ape like creature.

When extraordinary claims are made extraordinary evidence is needed if the claims are to be accepted. So far the picture is being revealed by the careful accumulation of evidence from artifacts, language and DNA and it raelly is amazing.