The Origin of the Family, Private Property and the State

wine production Weinbereitung; a developed metalworking Metallbearbeitung that was transitioning into artistic craft Kunsthandwerk; the cart Wagen and war chariot Streitwagen; shipbuilding Schiffbau with planks and beams; the beginnings of architecture Architektur as art; walled cities with towers Thürmen and battlements Zinnen; the Homeric epic homerische Epos and the entire mythology Mythologie—these are the main legacies that the Greeks Griechen took with them from barbarism Barbarei into civilization Civilisation. If we compare this with the description of the Germans Germanen in Caesar Cäsar and even Tacitus, who stood at the beginning of the same stage of culture Kulturstufe from which the Homeric Greeks were preparing to transition into a higher one, we see what richness of development in production Produktion the upper stage of barbarism contains.

The picture that I have sketched here of the development of humanity Menschheit through savagery Wildheit and barbarism Barbarei to the beginnings of civilization Civilisation according to Morgan is already rich in new and, what is more, indisputable traits because they are directly derived from production Produktion. Nevertheless, it will appear faint and meager compared to the picture that will unfold at the end of our journey; only then will it be possible to place the transition Uebergang from barbarism Barbarei into civilization Civilisation and the striking contrast between the two in full light. For the time being, we can generalize Morgan's classification Abtheilung as follows: Savagery Wildheit—period of predominant appropriation of finished natural products Naturprodukte; the artificial products Kunstprodukte of humans are predominantly auxiliary tools Hülfswerkzeuge for this appropriation. Barbarism Barbarei—period of the acquisition of livestock farming Viehzucht and agriculture Ackerbau, the learning of methods for the production Produktion of natural products Naturerzeugnisse through human activity Thätigkeit. Civilization Civilisation—period of learning the further processing of natural products Naturerzeugnisse, of actual industry Industrie and art Kunst.