Egypt and Mesopotamia’s river’s provided most of the needed water for their crops. Egypt developed north and south, surrounding the banks of the Nile River. Where Mesopotamia developed was known as the “Fertile Crescent”, between the Tigris and Euphrates. The main body of water near Egypt was the Mediterranean and for Mesopotamia it was the Persian Gulf. Since Egypt was bordered on one side by a huge sea, and on the other side an impassable desert, it made it very challenging to attack or conquer Egypt.
It was also a crucial event that launched Egypt into one of the most powerful ancient empires. The meshing of the cultures of Upper and Lower Egypt in regards to pottery, craft specialization, and expansion all were factors that helped lead to their unification. One of the ways that this meshing occurred was through trade. Ancient Egyptians were known for their complicated trade routes and relationships. This crucial aspect of ancient Egyptian culture is something that aided Predynastic Egypt’s unification and was also beneficial to Egypt in later cultural periods.
They also shown a vast majority of differences with concern to those areas as well. Upon examining these ancient civilizations, it is possible to see that these two civilizations had a lot in common. For starters, they had both developed near a River, which proved to be very beneficial to the thriving of the two civilizations. Because of the closeness to their respective rivers these civilizations possessed, they were provided with an easily accessible water source, which they would use in return to help water their plants thanks to the annual flooding of the two rivers leaving behind fertile soil. The Huang He River Civilization was able to grow rice plants, which provided them with rice, the staple of their diet making them able to strive.
Write and submit an essay on the following topic. The religions of ancient Egypt and Greece were certainly influenced by the geography of the respective areas in which they developed. Nevertheless, the main concern of these religions seems to have been to assist people to deal with the world of the unknown. The geography and landscape of Egypt and Greece did indeed influence the formation of religions therein. Ancient Egyptian communities settled on the banks of the Nile, to profit from the fertile soils for farming and agriculture.
For example Sudan’s plans to expand its irrigation networks along the upper Nile and Ethiopia’s Blue Nile Dam project are both causes of concern. Tigris and Euphrates (Mesopotamia) rivers has raised issues with Iraq and Syria, who argue that capturing “their” water might be considered a challenging political act. The Panama Canal, with it’s unique location at the narrowest point between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans has had a far reaching effect on world economic and commercial developments throughout most of his 20th century. By providing a short, relatively inexpensive passage way between those two great bodies of water, the Canal has influenced world trade patterns, spurred growth in developed countries and has been a primary force for economic expansion in many remote areas of the world. Throughout history, waterways goes through many economic and political effects on the society, but eventually they made the waterways work, enable to continue
The Greeks, however, were located on a peninsula and had easy access to foreign peoples and markets abroad over the Aegean Sea. Their interaction and trade with other cultures exposed them to new ideas and stimulated the formation of a Greek identity, and an interest in knowledge. The institutions and values of Persia and Greece were both fundamentally altered through their interaction with other peoples, which came about because of their geographic location and environmental conditions. Ancient Iran was a harsh, arid land with few natural resources, and early humans living there had to find ways to use limited water resources. Royal authority was developed to organize the resources and manpower to construct underground irrigation channels.
One of the biggest engineering feats that the Romans created was their miraculous Aqueducts. They created a ways for the Roman civilization to be able to have running water, sewer and indoor plumbing in the city of Rome. The sewer was especially important because it was able to carry the diseases away from the empire. Some of these amazing systems are actually still standing today, and even being used almost 2000 years later. The aqueducts were made using stone, bricks, and volcanic cement pozzuolana, a siliceous material almost like glue.
From the beginning of human life, people have been impacting their surrounding environments. The civilizations established within the Mediterranean of classical times had profound influences upon their environment. Population intensification resulted in increased agricultural production ultimately leading to erosion of the upper landscapes and subsequent deposition in the low lying areas. Similarly the establishment of ancient Yemen’s unique and complex agricultural system allowed the landscapes and surrounding environments to be significantly altered. Their human influences allowed them to avoid the desert conditions that would normally be expected from their latitude.
There are many differences and similarities between the Mesopotamian river civilization and Egyptian river civilization. The first difference is economy. Egyptians depended heavily on farming. Being close to the Nile allowed easy access to water needed for crops. Seasonal flooding fertilized the land for the next year's crops and Agriculture was essential for survival, growth, and economic success.
This form of picture writing, which was one of the premier ways they recorded their heritage, is also why we in the modern world know of the ancient practices within this fascinating civilization. In conjunction with hieroglyphics, much of Egypt’s religious ideas were recorded within the great pyramid texts. To this day, the ideas and practices of ancient Egypt influence the modern day culture in its religious, political, scientific, artistic, and literary expression. To truly understand ancient Egypt and its earliest beliefs and practices, one must examine its ancient mythology. The livelihood of the ancient Egyptians revolved around the Nile River.