This is important because it supported agricultural growth in the region. The culture of South Asia was greatly changed by the spread of Islam to the region. In 1000 C.E. the prominent religion was Hinduism. When Islam was introduced, many people converted and it quickly gained many followers.
THE NEED FOR WATER IN ANCIENT SOCIETIES Water is life - there could be no life without water. The ancient civilizations of Mesopotamia, Rome, Egypt and China understood that water is not simply a valuable resource without which survival is impossible, but also an important prerequisite for further development. Water became an influential tool that shaped technological, economic, political, and legal spheres of the ancient societies, as well as a powerful weapon in the hands of their emperors and kings. To begin, the need for a steady supply of water greatly affected technological developments in the ancient world, both negatively and positively. For instance, ancient civilizations that solely depended on irrigation canals and ditches often suffered food shortages and famine when the river levels dropped, or when the water systems could not be properly maintained.
The Egyptians could possibly be an extinct population if it were not for the Nile River. Not only did the Nile River provide a water source for the Ancient Egyptians, its frequent flooding provided rich soils to grow and maintain crops. The Nile River is such a large body of water and for the Ancient Egyptians to get full use out if it they developed one of the first irrigation systems, diverting water away from cities and towards fertile soil to help grow crops. The irrigation system was also used to provide clean drinking water (“Ancient Egyptian agriculture”, 2013, Irrigation Systems, para.1). As impressive as their irrigation systems were I believe the most interesting fact about the Nile River and the Ancient Egyptians is that the frequent flooding was so predictable that this was the basis for creating the first calendar,
Mesopotamia is an example of an early river civilization because rivers were a big factor in the way that the earliest societies came about. Mesopotamians had to learn to adapt to the rivers and were creative enough to invent technology to help control the flow of water to irrigate crops which was essential for successful farming. Mesopotamia’s location near the two rivers is also beneficial because the soil becomes greatly deposited with mud and clay which allows for the development of building materials to make homes, residences, and marketplaces, etc. The Tigris and Euphrates rivers also supplies most of the civilizations drinking water. The civilization has “tilled the soil, built houses, and constructed irrigation systems, draining marshes, and digging canals, dikes, and ditches” (Ancient Civilizations, n.d.).
GKE Task 1 I chose Egypt and the Nile as the geographic factor that contributed to the development of Ancient Egypt. The Nile is considered Egypt’s lifeline and important to the economy. Each year the Nile floods bringing with it numerous elements that nourish the land, not like the Tigris or Euphrates systems that have alkaline waters. The Nile fertilizes the land making it perfect for planting. The Ancient Egyptians planted wheat, barley, and many other crops after the flood waters receded.
Answer to DBQ People in early civilizations like Mesopotamia, Egypt and the Indus Valley, depended a lot in the physical environment that surrounded them. Many of these civilizations developed near rivers, because they can be great water resources and also they can provide silt for crops when they flood. Rivers not only provide silt and water for the natives but it can be a great way of transportation. Transportation later could lead to trade, a great way of expanding ideas and learning more about other countries. Even though the climate in these areas may be a little arid, the river keeps the people with water and provides them what they need in order to create a society and living with happiness.
The Nile River Valley civilization is a good example of an early civilization that depended upon a river, the Nile, for everything, as seen in document 4. In the Egyptian art in document 2 we can observe that the people there worked with the water from the Nile, sailed the Nile and even their animals depended on the Nile for food. This shows that the rivers were the base of all this early civilizations and played an important role in agriculture. As the civilizations became more and more complex they developed new technologies and ways of life. They created the social classes were the “base” people were the ones who worked and “fed” the whole civilization.
It is debatable of if it was the first. The Indus Valley was well known for their highly sophisticated wells and water storage systems in the ancient world. They also developed a system of weights and trade, wonderful types of pottery and jewelry. Traders would use The Indus River to do their trading because boat by river was an easy way to travel with a large amount of goods. By In the Indus River Valley, the largest cities of the area were located directly next to the Indus River (Martin).
The success of the ancient Egyptian civilization would not have been possible without the Nile River, it was their life line. The Egyptians depended on the Nile River for food and water. They ate fruit off the trees that lined its banks and the fish that swam in its waters. The depended on the flood every year that left behind rich, fertile silt perfect for planting. They grew cotton, beans, wheat and barley in the rich soil once the flood waters had receded.
They flowed into the Persian Gulf with large amounts of fertile silt and soil deposits. The Tigris and Euphrates Rivers had a positive impact on the history and culture of Mesopotamia. They also helped the early settlers, like the Sumerians, plant crops with their fertile soil and silt deposits. The river was also used as a large transportation route. The route was used for trade, and travel.