Mesopotamia Rivers

Words: 704
Pages: 3
Open Document
There are many important aspects surrounding the development of early civilizations, but the most important is the rivers that they were built upon. Civilizations such as Mesopotamia and Egypt, relied heavily on the rivers. Egypt and Mesopotamia were very prosperous in their time, and this would not have been possible without the help of the rivers. There are many ways that the rivers assisted the development of these civilizations, examples include: agriculture and irrigation, drinking water, transportation, and food sources. Though in the case of Mesopotamia, the Fertile Crescent was a huge advantage in their prosperity. Mesopotamia was an ancient region in the Mediterranean, the two rivers that the civilization was built on were called …show more content…
As time passed, the people thought of ways to deter floods, and irrigate their crops learned how to control the rivers, preventing floods, and bringing water to arid lands. They dug wide canals that allowed the river to flow into their farms, then they dug smaller canals leading directly to the crops, thus watering them. They put primitive floodgates on the canal openings to control how much water, if any, is released. This way, the Mesopotamians were able to grow a surplus of healthy crops each farming season. This irrigation system was rather primitive, but very effective. It essentially allowed the Mesopotamian culture to prosper, and assisted heavily in the way we look back at them …show more content…
The Nile River was of central importance to life in Egypt. The Nile River, the longest river in the world, begins in the center of Africa and flows onwards for thousands of miles. The areas that spanned 7 miles on both banks of river were capable of producing plentiful harvests. Flooding was gradual in contrast to Mesopotamian Rivers. Like Mesopotamia, Egypt was a river valley civilization. The Nile River played a key role in the development of Egypt’s agriculture and economy. The civilization of Ancient Egypt was indebted to the Nile River and its dependable seasonal flooding. The river’s predictability and the fertile soil allowed the Egyptians to build an empire on the basis of agricultural wealth. Egyptians are credited as being one of the first groups of people to practice agriculture on a large scale. This was possible because of the creativity of the Egyptians as they developed effective irrigation. Their farming practices allowed them to grow staple food crops, especially grains such as wheat and barley, and industrial crops, such as flax and
Show More

Related Documents: Mesopotamia Rivers

First Wave Civilizations: Mesopotamia And Shang

During first-wave civilizations, Mesopotamia and the Shang both used technology to adapt to their environment. First wave civilizations Mesopotamia and Shang used technology to adapt to their environment in the development of trading tools, writing systems and the construction of architecture. In like manner, Mesopotamia and Shang both used tools to travel long distances when they traded, while Mesopotamia used wheeled vehicles to transport their gold and ivory, Shang used wheelbarrows to transport…

Words 685 - Pages 3

Mesopotamian essay

How Did Geography Impact Mesopotamia th Fahmida Uddin 9-2 ( 8 period) 9.19.14 Geography impacted Mesopotamia in many ways. The most helpful aspect was that Mesopotamia was in between two rivers, the Tigris and the Euphrates river. Because of it’s location between these two rivers, Mesopotamia has some upsides. Mesopotamia has many different regions. The geography of each area and the natural resources that were there affected the ways that…

Words 509 - Pages 3

Draft Introduction Essay

Christine li Mesopotamia and ancient China Ancient people live near the river, that is called the river valley civilization. There are many reason about it. But the most important one is the water. Human beings and agriculture need water. Plentiful water, and the enrichment of the soil due to annual flooding, made it possible to grow excess crops beyond what was needed to sustain a village. Other advantages of living near river included easy transportation by water…

Words 917 - Pages 4

Essay about Comparative Analysis

Essay: Egypt and Mesopotamia The rise of civilizations of Egypt and Mesopotamia occurred about the same time and both civilizations grew along the mighty rivers. There were so many similarities but many differences as well. In each case, it was the river valley and geography that dictated outcomes affecting agricultural prosperity, religious formation, and agricultural prosperity, government structures. The first true civilizations in ancient times both formed near prominent rivers. These civilizations…

Words 706 - Pages 3

Similarities Between Ancient Egypt And Mesopotamia

ancient Mesopotamia were the the Nile river and the Tigris and Euphrates rivers that developed the agriculture, political unification, and the economy. Agriculture in both societies was largely based off of the flooding rivers. In Ancient Egypt and Ancient Mesopotamia the rivers generally controlled the political unification. Trade routes were dictated by the currents and flooding of the rivers. The relationship Ancient Mesopotamia and Ancient Egypt had with the flooding of their rivers caused…

Words 455 - Pages 2

Compare And Contrast Indus Valley And China

Early River Valley Civilizations There are four early river valley civilizations which were Mesopotamia, Egypt, the Indus Valley, and China. These civilizations emerged and developed on fertile river plains. My essay will only compare and contrast Mesopotamia, the Indus Valley, and China. The topics that my compare and contrast essay will be comparing is the environmental challenges that they had and how they dealt with it and how they kept their civilization protected from the other civilizations…

Words 561 - Pages 3

Fertile Crescent Research Paper

and the the Jordan River. The term was first used by University of Chicago archaeologist James Henry Breasted. Neolithic: Also known as The New Stone Age. It was marked by the domestication of animals, the development of stone & metal tools, and the manufacture of pottery and textiles. It immediately preceded the development of metallurgy. Mesopotamia: Mesopotamia means “land between the rivers.” It was an ancient region of southwest Asia between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers in modern-day Iraq…

Words 570 - Pages 3

Mesopotamia Dbq

religion, and agriculture. Mesopotamia, in Greek meaning between two rivers, the lands on the sides of the rivers was fertile while the general area was not. First of all, I believe the ancient cultures of Mesopotamia and Egypt developed into successful civilizations because of the resources that came from the rivers. According to document one and two, egyptian civilizations began close to the Nile river. Nile river provided a fertile area, which was good for farming. Mesopotamia developed along the Tigris…

Words 369 - Pages 2

Current Events Essay

years ago. They were located close to rivers, Egypt being near the Nile, and Mesopotamia being between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. The rivers and the surrounding environment forced the two civilizations to differ. Egypt and Mesopotamia were both one of the first civilizations, but their geographical locations made Egypt be more successful politically, religiously, and culturally. The rivers impacted both civilizations greatly. Egypt had the Nile river, which provided many benefits to the…

Words 1572 - Pages 7

Essay about Egypt and Mesopotamia

Kate Ward Per. 3 9/11/13 River Valley civilizations were the first to occur throughout time. Two of the most advanced were Egypt and Mesopotamia. Although both had a male dominant government that was supported by a patriarchal king or leader, Egypt had a strong, centralized government whereas Mesopotamia was decentralized and was based upon small city-states operating independently. To add, Egypt was also classified as self sufficient rather than Mesopotamia who relied on trade because of unstable…

Words 1020 - Pages 5