中古欧洲文明具有多样化的特性和表征，对此可从参与创造中古欧洲文明的外来要素、世俗社会与宗教系统之关系、欧洲人所奉行的价值观念以及城市和工商业发展之特征等方面予以进一步揭示。中古欧洲文明的起源和发展汇聚了多元要素。中古欧洲的世俗等级社会是刚性的，而天主教会系统则较有弹性；世俗政治的分立有着精神世界的统一予以平衡。中古欧洲确立了以个体为本位的价值观念体系，形成了以契约为纽带的社会关系，在强化共同体观念时也挟带了以邻为壑的意识。特有的经济结构促使中世纪欧洲工商业和城市发达，其城市共同体形成一种市民社会，孕育了市民精神，在商品交换高度发展中孕育了新的经济文明，对立、共存与互动使中古欧洲城乡关系别具一格。中古欧洲文明的这些特性，在近代发生了极大变化。

中古时期, 欧洲, 文明特征

The Medieval European civilization is characterized by its diversity, which can be further revealed through the external factors that contributed to its creation, the relationship between the secular society and the religious system, the values and consciousness pursued by Europeans, and the characteristics of urban and industrial development. The origin and development of Medieval European civilization converged multiple elements. The Medieval European secular hierarchical society was rigid, while the Catholic system was more flexible. The secular political division in Medieval Europe was balanced by the unity of the spiritual world. In Medieval Europe, an individual centered value system was established, forming social relationships linked by contracts, and reinforcing the concept of community with a sense of beggar thy neighbor. The unique economic structure promoted the development of industry, commerce, and cities in Medieval Europe, and its urban community formed a kind of civil society, nurturing a civic spirit and fostering a new economic civilization in the highly developed commodity exchange. The opposition, coexistence, and interaction made the urban-rural relationship in Medieval Europe unique. These characteristics of Medieval European civilization have undergone significant changes in modern times.

Medieval period, Europe, civilization characteristics