Ryan Zorn
Rachel Gatto
Riley King
Brianna Vinup Ancient India and China
The ancient civilizations of India and China were possibly the most advanced of their time. Both countries had much to offer in that time including new technology, governments, religions, and items to trade. The two countries have and had had many similarities and contrasts.
The geography of ancient India was a little different than what is to this day. The Himalayan mountains are located in the Northern part of India and the Hindu Kush are located in the North West. Three bodies of water surround southern India, the Arabian sea is to the south west, the Indian ocean on the southern side, and The Bay of Bengal to the southeast. India was extended more to the Northwest and west, in ancient times. Jungles, forests, and mountains are great examples of the geography of India. The Himalayan mountains still lay to the north. The Himalayan mountains were great to the development of India’s early civilizations. They provided a great deal of protection from military invasions. In the east and west other mountains also provided the same protection. Ancient India had some of the most extreme climatic and geographical features.
China is located on the the continent of Asia. The civilizations began to form around the Yellow River in 2000 BCE. China’s culture is still the same but three other civilizations have gone away or been taken over. The southern region of ancient China was wet and tropical, the
To the south and southeast of China are the Himalaya Mountains. These are the highest mountains in the world. Because of their impassability the area of China was kept isolated from many other civilizations. The two of the world’s largest deserts are in the are of Ancient China. To the north and west of Ancient China were the Gobi Desert and the
Ancient South Asian and Chinese societies have many things in common, but they also have many differences in their ways of living. From social aspects to religious aspects, Ancient South Asian and Chinese societies have developed over time to become their own unique societies.
From the mathematical developments made in Mesopotamia, to the pyramids in Egypt, to the intricate black pottery of China, to the highly advanced drainage system in India these ancient cultures have shaped our developments over time. Though they have all contributed to our cultures and thinking, these cultures and cities are unique and very different. Despite this, the overall development and growth of these civilizations follow similar patterns which unite the histories of people all over the world. Ancient cultures and civilization are hard to compare due to their individuality, but despite this the Egyptian, Mesopotamian, and Chinese Civilizations are significantly different than that of the Indian
The civilizations of ancient Mesopotamia, Egypt and China all contributed their own intellectual outlooks and advances to history.
Geography has the power to limit civilization connections from other cultures. For example, in the Physical Map of China (Doc 2), China is bordered by the vast Himalayas and the Taklimakan Desert. This geographical features prevented many ideas form other cultures to come into China from the west. Except for the narrow Silk Road, many Greek, Roman, Islamic, African, European, and Western ideas and inventions did not come into China in great numbers until the late 15th century enabling China to develop its own culture, free from other influences. In Mesopotamia and Egypt, many geographical features also prevented it from being reached by other cultures, such as China and India, as shown in Geography of the Ancient Middle East Map (Doc 5). The Zagros Mountains prevented many Chinese and Indian explorers from reaching Mesopotamia, with its elevation of 14,000 feet, while the Sahara Desert and the intense Nile River cataracts prevented many African explorers from reaching
China is located in East Asia. Ancient China is surrounded by Gobi Desert in the north, the Pacific Ocean in the east, the Himalayan Mountains in the southwest, and the Taklimakan desert in the west. This land has a wide variation of animals because of the different habitats provided for them. Most farming was done in the very fertile lands of the Yangtze valley. Present China is much bigger than Ancient China, which means that over time, the kings and different dynasties went gaining more and more land and wealth.
The geography of China has affected its people for thousands of years. Rivers such as the Huang He and the Yangtze have benefited its people because they were able to trade, get food and water and settle down in this area. These rivers were beneficial because they helped to facilitate trade. (“The Study Of History”). The Chinese traded goods such as silk, salt, teas, sugar, porcelain and other luxurious goods (“Ancient China”). While this was beneficial to the Chinese there were also many negatives effects that the geography had in China. The Himalayan mountains had some negative effects on the Chinese. The Himalayas kept them isolated for a long time. This then meant that there was a lack of cultural diffusion which was occurring (“Himalayan Mountains Documentary…”). The Chinese weren’t able to trade goods and ideas because it was hard for them and other civilizations
These emerging civilizations were much larger than the earlier ones of Mesopotamia, Egypt, the Indus Valley and Shang China – displaying more complex political, economic, cultural, and military organization. All civilizations traded with others and many conquered new territories. Classical civilizations include those such as Zhou and Han China, the Gupta Empire in India, and the Mediterranean civilizations of Greece and Rome.
China had everything that they needed in there little area that they had. They had the Yellow river that would flood that would deposit rich soil for the empires and dynasties to grow food in. Geographic Isolation made China very different because other early world civilizations always had many enemies. Also the Chinese people thought they they were in the middle of the world. WIth the addition of the Great wall that was build and all the trading posts that were set up such as Chang’an, Dunhuang and Turpan China thought they had no worries and they were the
Ancient China is a civilization with a lot of important features. Ancient china is known for their dynasties. China has many important geographic features as well. China had religion, achievements, dynasties, relationships, and many more.
Mesopotamia, Egypt, and the Indus River Valley were all civilizations situated near rivers. In Mesopotamia, the Tigris and Euphrates rivers rose annually but were prone to flooding. In Egypt, on the other hand, the Nile River had predictable flooding and was and still is the longest river in the world. It was also easy to traverse due to southern wind patterns and northern currents. In the Indus Valley, people lived near the Indus River, hence the name. Also, they were isolated, surrounded by the Himalayas, just as Egypt was isolated, surrounded by deserts, mountains, seas, and cataracts. On the other hand, Mesopotamia was more open and vulnerable to invasion.
Geography affected people's lives in China because geography could make it difficult to trade. Ancient China was surrounded by two great deserts and had the Himalayas blocking their path to go to India. But, geography was also useful for the Ancient Chinese people, because there were two rivers (the main ones were named Huang and Chang) that could help them grow crops, and get fresh water.
Present day China is an unlimited nation. It is the world's fourth biggest nation and is home to roughly 1.25 billion individuals - about a quarter of the world's populace. It has an awesome assortment of atmospheres and territories. The south is wet and tropical, with some downpour woods scope. North-west China is secured in desert. In the exact far north-east, near Russia, the temperature can drop to - 50ºC in the winter. In the west of China there are the Himalayas, with a percentage of the most noteworthy mountains on the planet. China's most minimal point is in the Turfan Depression, at - 154 meters beneath ocean level. The Turfan Depression is otherwise called one of the "heaters" of China due to its mind boggling warmth. The liquefying snows from the mountains in the west make the headwaters for two of China's most essential waterways, the Yellow River and the Yangzi River. The Yellow River gets its name in view of the yellow wind-borne earth dust called loses that is blown over the north of China from the steppes of Central Asia. The loses is blown into the waterway and gives it a yellow appearance. The Yangzi River is the longest in China and third longest on the planet. The Yangzi River waters the rice developing districts in the south of China.
Classical China and Classical India were truly great civilizations known for their contributions to modern China and India, but ancient China has always been more popular in research than ancient India for some reason, possibly because of it being of the major powers in the world today. According to the author of History, Time, and Knowledge in Ancient India, “The lack of interest in history in ancient India has often been noted and contrasted with the situation in China and the West.” (Perrett 1) Despite this, there is no denying the rich cultures of both India and China. Both countries produced very unique religions.
It is bordered by Pakistan to the west;[14] China, Nepal, and Bhutan to the north-east; and Bangladesh and Myanmar to the east. India is in the vicinity of Sri Lanka, the Maldives, and Indonesia in the Indian Ocean.