The Civilization of Light & Dark

So I must confess. I am not happy with the title, 'The Civilization.' 

The original title of the novel was "The Civilization of Light & Dark."

For the life of me, I cannot recall how I chose the title. I do recall there being a previous title, 'The Land of the Gods.' It sounded too much like a 'real-world spiritual place,' and many such places in the real world used that title.

I do believe it came from Ancient Egypt, what they called the land of Punt. 

Many times over, beta readers and editors suggested a change of title. I tried a few. "Dark Was the Night" was a working title for a while. It sounded too horror-coded. See similar problems with The Absence of Light and The Forsaken Lands.

I ended up using "Civilization" as a working title. I expected my publisher to force me to change the title. 
They never did.

Does 'The Civilization' make sense? It still sounded horror-coded. Granted there are horrors in the story, the title left much to be desired. 

What does the title mean? is a question I got a few times. It's hard to explain. What is civilization? A stable or organized society, distinguished by advanced architecture, systems, and practices. 

What am I trying to say with the title?

The long-form works better, I would say. 

The Civilization of Light & Dark means only that a society is torn between light and dark forces, good and evil, survival and annihilation, and knowledge and wilderness. 

I continue to call the novel The Civilization of Light & Dark.