Civilizations share common characteristics including systems of communication, stable locations, governance through common laws, and production of surplus goods. Factors that allow civilizations to develop are access to rivers for agriculture, good defensive positions, and large populations to defend and grow the group. All civilizations require time and resources to develop beyond mere sustenance. The document outlines the Paleolithic Era from 400,000 to 7000 BCE when early peoples lived without written history and civilizations, using only rudimentary tools.