Mesopotamia Geography Dbq

Geography was a major influence in the development of the river valley and classical civilizations of the Middle East, China and India. These early civilizations developed near river valleys because water was essential to survival and the growth of the the civilization. In the Middle East civilizations developed along the Tigris and Euphrates river. Water was used as a means of transportation, farming, and irrigation. In Egypt, The Nile River was a major influence in regards to the achievements of the ancient Egyptians.

Although you might think Mesopotamia and Egypt are very similar, they also are very different. The reason for similarities and differences between these two civilizations are because of political, economic, religious, social, arts, and geography reasons. All these factors affect the culture of these two cities. Let’s analyze the differences and similarities between these two civilizations.

The Role of the Nile River in Ancient Egypt Home to the longest river in the world, Ancient Egypt was one of four major early river civilizations. From about 2920 to 30 BCE, Egypt flourished as one of the most advanced societies during the time period. What made Ancient Egypt so successful? The answer lies in the Nile, the source of all life in the desert climate. The Nile River shaped Ancient Egypt’s society by creating a suitable environment for farming, providing a mode of transportation, and playing a key role in religion.

Life in the ancient river valley civilizations was different for each region. A perfect example would be the Egyptians river and the Yellow river both are river valley civilizations but each have different geography, social structures, beliefs, gender roles, literature, weapons and technology. In the Egyptian river valley geography is very important, they relied on the Nile rivers floodings that lasted about 4 months providing them with fresh waste free soil the many seas surrounding this civilization acted as a barrier aiding them in war and fighting off diseases. As for the Yellow river civilization geography affected them negatively its surroundings make it difficult to trade crops and livestock so they have to dedicate themselves greatly to producing their own food.

In the early civilizations , government, economy, and the art culture was growing for developing countries. The Tigris and Euphrates River Valley was very similar and different from the famous Nile river valley in Egypt in many ways. Waging wars and causing trouble in paradise are not the only things that the Middle East is and was capable of. These two civilizations built the structure of autocracy, monarchy, and the artistic community, from hieroglyphics to pictographs these communities of people created things that we still use today to find out more of ancient history. The Persian chart by Ms.Dumelow’s 9th grade class explains the exact differences between the two river valleys The Nile River Valley and The Tigris Euphrates river valley.

Ancient China was Successful Ancient China was one of the most successful empires ever, there are lots of reasons to it’s success. Inventions like paper not only helped Ancient China, but other countries. The Chinese culture was very steady, it prevented lots of wars which are caused by different beliefs. There are several large rivers in China which not only helped transportation, but also in trades.

Geographic Location and Ancient Civilization Advanced technologies, large populations, and a well organized work force are three very important aspects that make civilizations great. Planet Earth has gone through many different climatic changes over the past thousands of years, and each time civilizations have adapted and thrived. So, the main question is, how did geographic location help shape ancient civilization?

In the Ancient world, Life began around rivers. Throughout this essay I will be comparing and contrasting two of the prominent ancient civilizations, the Egyptians and the Sumerians. They had many cultural and governmental differences between them. Below are some examples. To start, each civilization began next to a river(s).

The river valley civilizations consisted of northern China, northwestern India, Mesopotamia, and Egypt. All four civilizations had their own ways of living, and beliefs. While each different civilization had similarities, they also had their differences. Most of their beliefs did differ, they had different forms of governments, religious beliefs, writing, and laws. The sources in The Global Experience portray written Chinese language, as well as religious indian prayers, Hammurabi's law codes, and an Egyptian story about a man returning from exile.

Many civilizations had to deal with harsh environments while others had a very good environment. Some civilizations had to deal with deserts, mountains, rain forests, and areas with too much rain. Other civilizations had a very good settlement area such as river banks and the Mesopotamia. Tribes such as the Cherokee and the Mound Builders were in a very good geological environment. A Tribe known as the Apache didn 't live in a great area for farming but had other benefits like trading.