Culture existed long before civilization, which is usually defined as a level of production and technological sophistication that allows specialized labor, social stratification, stored wealth, civic structures and eventually heroic architecture.

Hunter/gatherer humans needed culture, possibly more than modern ones do...culture being the collection of group knowledge and practices necessary for group success.

This collection was preserved and transmitted through ritual, mythology, shared belief systems, and social pressure/constraints.

The word "civilization" is often conflated with humane and ethical practices, which are often weak or not present at many levels of civilization and often strong among "primitive" societies.