Themes in US and World History Task # 1 Nina Valentin 1. Without the seasonal flooding of the Nile, hunter gatherers in the Predynastic period would never have settled into agricultural villages which would lead to the development of Egyptian culture (history.com). In Ancient Egyptian the majority of the population where farmers. The peasant population depended on the cyclical flooding of the Nile to fertilize the surrounding land for cultivation. Since the majority of the population was based in small farming villages along the Nile, agriculture was the basis for their economy (history.com).
The foundation of civilization rested on the ability to produce and sustain agricultural products that fueled the growth of populations in the area. In Mesopotamia, the salinated soil and irregular schedule of the flooding rivers made the development of civilization difficult, however through implementation of irrigation techniques, the populous of the Fertile Crescent was able to claw out some semblance of a life. From the development of irrigation, small communities of humans grew. With the growth of these communities, what we now identify with as traits of civilization arose. Things such as pictographs and social and communal norms grew into written language and written laws that were proliferated throughout the region.
Rivers have helped develop civilizations, empires, countries and regions. Rivers are a moving body of water that usually has its source in an area of high ground. They are many examples of rivers of rivers around the world like the Tigris and Euphrates River located in Mesopotamia but the longest river in the world is located in Egypt it is called The Nile River. Rivers are helpful in many ways. Rivers helped civilizations like the Yellow River in China and the Indus River in India because rivers helped them create irrigation systems to help water their crops.
Irrigation from the two rivers made it possible for the early settlers to farm and had abundant crops for trade. Furthermore, the supply of water from the two rivers were used for grazing areas for cattle and sheep. As a result, Mesopotamian had a lot of food variety they can choose from and permitted others to look for different jobs; for example, making clay pots and tools. Thus, new jobs developed and buildings and dams were built (Britannica, 2011) Part B The development of the chariot provides as a great example of diffusion throughout the continents. Chariots was invented in Mesopotamia to carry a driver and an archer for war.
Whereas, Mesopotamia was known as the “land between the river” due to the fact that it was stuck right between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. Both civilizations were located by riversides, which supported them with fertile land helped create the base of their success. The Egyptians were more blessed in this because they had realized there vast natural resources because of the Nile River. Unlike the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers, they had the benefits of the river flooding which would flood in September and leave perfect fertilized soil for the planting season. Egypt also grew papyrus reeds, had good fishing, and hunted animals by the river banks.
Not only did they use the river for water and food, they also used the river for main transportation and trading goods. Although the Nile River flooded once a year which caused destructions, it provided them with a layer of silt that fertilized their soil that allowed them to farm all year round. The Egyptians welcomed these annual floods and showed their gratitude to the river god Osiris. They were connected with their religion especially through Osiris. The Nile river also supported in their early political unification between upper and lower Egypt.
The Nile River, in particular, was an aspect of agriculture whose impact on African societies would change the way we see it today. The ancient Egyptian civilization developed along the Nile River, where the soil was rich and the agricultural opportunities were plentiful. The Nile River cut through something of an arid landscape, so the people clustered along the riverbanks, where, in addition to farms, they constructed towns and cities. Though we often think of ancient Egypt in terms of massive construction projects, such as the pyramids, most Egyptians lived in smaller towns. Unlike the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers, the Nile floods at a predictable time of the year and in relatively predictable stages.
At its height, the Indus Valley Civilization covered modern day Pakistan, parts of Afghanistan and most of western India (Fitzsimons, 1970). The flooding of the Indus Valley plains allowed farming to become widespread around the region. The two principal cities of Mohenjadoro and Harrappa both sheltered more than 40,000 people (Fitzsimons, 1970). Both cities were planned remarkably well with right-handed wide streets, public wash stations for prayers, and an extensive drain system (Kenoyer, 1991). This suggested that there was a centralized authority and that the inhabitants respected order and law (Fitzsimons, 1970).
They used the advantages of the rivers and the fertile land to shape their world through trade and agriculture. “Land between rivers” refers to the fertile valley between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers [1]. Because of the arid environment, these early Mesopotamians resorted to using small scale irrigation techniques for agriculture. As agriculture developed and the population increased, they devised new ways to capture their most valuable resource in more elaborate ways. They understood that in order to sustain a large population and develop an ever expanding civilization, they wold need to channel the water, from long distances, into the desert.
The Ancient Egyptians thought of Egypt as being divided into two types of land, the “black land” and the “red land. “ The “black land” was the fertile land on the banks of the Nile, and was mainly used as a growing land for their crops because of their deposition of rich, black silt every year after the Nile flood. The “red land” consisted of a barren desert and acted as natural barrier to protect Egypt from invasions by neighboring countries. Despite being a desert, it was a source of precious metals and semi-precious stones. The ancient Egyptians believed that it was important to record and communicate information about the religion and government.