A student asked anthropologist Margaret Mead what she thought was the first sign of civilization in a culture.
The student expected Mead to talk about hooks, earthenware pots, or millstones. But she did not.
Mead said the first sign of civilization in an ancient culture was a broken and then healed femur. He explained that in the animal kingdom if you break your leg, you die. You cannot run away from danger, go to the river for a drink, or look for food. You are meat for predatory beasts that prowl around you. No animal survives a broken leg long enough for the bone to heal.
A broken femur that has healed is proof that someone took the time to be with the one who fell, bandaged his wound, took him to a safe place, and helped him recover.
Mead said that helping someone else in difficulty is the precise point at which civilization begins. "The sense of community and caring for others. We are at our best when we serve others. That's what being civilized is all about."