These civilizations include the Sumerians, Akkadians, Babylonians, and Assyrians. The Sumerians ruled from 3200 to 2350 BCE, and consisted of many city-states ruled by a king. The Sumerians developed complex irrigation systems, an early form of writing called cuneiform, arches and stepped-pyramids, and domesticated crops such as wheat and barley. The Akkadians ruled from 2350 to 2000 BCE, and came from the city-state of Akkad, located on the Euphrates River. The Akkadian economy was based on agriculture.
To begin, typically between June and September, the river would flood its banks. Since there is little rainfall in Egypt, this yearly flood would allow moisture back into the soil, improving the conditions for farming. This area of land “along the banks of the Nile [is called] the Kemet, or Black Land.” It is noted that “the land along the banks of the Nile River were extremely fertile.” In addition, the Nile River acted as a natural highway, creating opportunities to trade goods by water.
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.
The Nile River also flooded, and could destroy crops and kill people and animals; however, unlike Ancient China, people in Ancient Egypt could predict when the Nile RIver would flood.. Ancient Egyptians could determine when it flooded, so they could prepare accordingly. Much like the Yellow River, The Nile River brought in silt, or fertile soil, so plants could grow well. Places outside of the river valley were deserts and nothing could be grown there, so the silt coming in from the river made a huge difference for Egyption agriculture. Agriculture was significantly affected by the Nile River because when it flooded fertile silt washed up on its shore, making agriculture possible for Ancient Egypt.
According to Document B, "Waters receded but Nile high enough to fill irrigation canals: crops planted and tended. " With the predictable flooding patterns they were able to make a farming schedule. So they could make the most crops. The river influenced their seasons
Religion played an important role in civilization as government laws and divine kingship derived from it. Both civilizations were quite similar, but acquired some differences unique to each civilization. These differences include the environment, divine kingship, and sense of security from either nature or law. The idea and practices of ancient Mesopotamia originated from the Sumerians. Moreover, both Mesopotamian and Egyptian civilization diffused their practices and ideas to other ancient civilizations like the Hebrews and the Greeks.
The Ancient Israelites and the Mesopotamians are both early societies in the Middle East. These societies have similar social similarities, such as having the society being patriarchal. They also had the same political laws such as men were recognized as the head of the household. Another similarity is with inheritance. Usually men would inherit property, money, or other values.
The land along the Nile and delta was arable and very good for farming, while the rest of the land was dry like a desert. (Document 2-1) So, the land near the Nile became the perfect environment for a civilization to commence. Although the Nile floods provided silt, allowing crops to grow, the floods also destroyed villages and killed many people. Despite this, so much success was found in Egypt because of Nile River.
With the rivers located just by ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia, both civilizations’ culture depended on agriculture, and were formed around agricultural communities which supplied them with food. In Egypt, the annual flooding of the Nile contributed to their development in agriculture, while Mesopotamians depended on the Euphrates river, which was less dependable than the Nile because of its unpredictable flooding. The flooding of the two rivers in ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia left a fertile layer of soil, making it easier to plant crops and allowing both communities to depend on their rivers for
After the Neolithic Revolution Era, civilizations in Asia and Northeast Africa started to form. All of the civilizations in that area were located near water, so that’s why they were all called, River Valley Civilizations. The most advanced ancient river valley civilization was the Indus Valley Civilization. According to Document 5, it states that “While the cities of Ancient Mesopotamia and Egypt were built with very little planning...the cities of the Indus Valley were sophisticatedly planned. The cities were built on a grid system.”
Ancient Mesopotamia and Ancient Egypt were two early human civilizations that lived during the bronze age in harsh desert environments located not far from each other. Both civilizations were built around rivers that they depended on for survival. There is evidence that these rivers had great influence on both the societies politics and culture. Egypt was built around the very strong and reliable Nile River. Ancient Mesopotamia was established in the fertile crescent between the less reliable Tigris and Euphrates Rivers.
Some of the first civilizations are made up of societies that share qualities and have differences. The similarities and differences are what bring them together, and separate them. The Indus River valley and Sumer are the same way, they have similarities that make them close and differences that make them unique. There are many similarities and differences between these two. The Indus River Valley and Sumer have differences between the two such as, religion, political, and their language.
The Mississippi Question A civilization represents a new and particular type of human society, made possible by the immense productivity of the Agricultural Revolution. Sumer, Egypt, Indus, and Chinese were four river civilizations. What historians have noticed about these four river civilizations is that each one is between the 25 degrees North and 40 degrees North latitude. Historians also noticed that there is another river in this latitude, but it lacked the simple developments that formed an early civilization.
The Egyptians knew just how to finesse the Nile and its capabilities to turn what would appear to be a barren wasteland into a rocketing empire. A consistent freak act of nature allowed the Egyptians to harness the capabilities of the Nile River. The water that had been collected in the canals and basins during the inundation period was enough to supply nutrients for the crops for the next year. In the early 1900s, several dams were built in southern Egypt to control the horrid flooding. The rise and fall of the Nile's life-giving waters inspired the ancient Egyptians to view it as a cycle of death and rebirth.
2.8.2 Urbanization Urbanization led many areas becomes more modernized. Lowland areas have been reclaimed by taking land from the hills. There are also small rivers that filled up to be used as a building site. Activities such as these are a common factor of flooding. In the past, creeks and valleys turned into water flow, now the area has been covered with soil.
