Modern civilization as we know it began as a group of shabby huts in the ancient region of Mesopotamia. Flowing from mountains in modern Turkey, the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers created an environment favorable for settlement. Wandering groups of people happened to come upon this fertile land. The warm temperatures allowed a permanent civilization to begin. Mesopotamia is a region which has a huge variety of geography combined into one expanse of land. There are rivers, valleys, mountains, floodplains, deserts, and marshes splotched around the region. However, the most important landmarks of them all are the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. Without their annual flood, ancient humans would have had difficulty in surviving. As well as …show more content…
Along with the annual flooding, there was the advantage of warm temperatures which allowed for a variety of crop growth. Mesopotamians planted grains like wheat, rice, and barley and further improved their diet. After centuries of tedious labor by people, a clever idea was brought forth: the domestication of animals for farming purposes. Soon, farmers were domesticating sheep, goats, and horses to perform the labor. By using such techniques, farmers were often able to get twice as many crops as they had before, and Mesopotamia began to have food surpluses. The food surpluses were ultimately the factors that led Mesopotamia to experience remarkable development. Strong developments had to be made so that Mesopotamia could achieve success in its society. Thanks to advanced irrigation and farming techniques, there were food surpluses. Many farmers changed jobs to begin a career which would generate greater earnings. This ultimately helped the economy of ancient Mesopotamia. Eventually, people began to gain large amounts of money by selling crops and objects made by craftsmen. The wealthy and poor were separated into rural and urban areas. To keep up with a developing society, Mesopotamia made a government. Laws and tax collection systems were created to fund the government. In addition, the wealthy people made ancient learning centers, where scholars taught modern subjects such as mathematics and literature. To keep track of events, a writing system named
Civilization is the stage of human social development. Civilizations have improved over the years. The ancient River Valley Civilizations have created a foundation for future human developments. The ancient River Valley Civilization all made key contributions for future societies. The Civilization from Mesopotamia and China had a massive influence for future civilizations.
All the way from the start of civilization through to the Early Christianity there has been a pantheon of; destruction, recognition, wars, cultural diffusion, religious breakthroughs, laws that have been established, kings and queens crowned and dethroned. The Mesopotamian Civilization it was the land between two rivers the Tigris and the Euphrates Rivers that civilization first began.
Mesopotamia developed a form of writing known as cuneiform. Their writing evolved from pictures into signs. Mesopotamians used writing mainly for record keeping. They would put business transactions into writing and had a written code of law. They also had literature like The Epic of Gilgamesh. The Epic of Gilgamesh is about one of the earliest passions of man, the search for eternal life. The Mesopotamians had a school for writing because they wanted trained scribes for
In Mesopotamia, the Tigris and Euphrates River played a tremendous role in the formation of this
This change in food production also supported Sumerians, Persians, and other people to settle down in one place. This helped them to set their minds on other things which led to the invention of the wheel and many other improvements
Because of this, the Mesopotamians were able to take advantage of the natural resources in the Fertile Crescent, and develop a surplus of food. Because of this, no one in the civilization would grow hungry, and they would have more goods to trade, which made Ancient Mesopotamia a very wealthy
Ancient Mesopotamia, sometimes referred to as the “Cradle of Civilization”, was located in the Fertile Crescent between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers, bringing the Greek origin of its name, of “land between rivers”. There were two very different regions in ancient Mesopotamia:
One way geography can affect the lives of people in the Ancient World is by allowing them to flourish permanent settlements. One important geographical feature that paved the way for permanent settlements is rivers. Rivers are necessary for major cities in the Ancient World to remain prosperous, as seen in the Geography of the Ancient Middle East Map (Doc 5). Rivers provide fertile soil for farming and plentiful drinking water. In Mesopotamia, two major rivers, the Tigris and the Euphrates helped shape civilization for the next 2000 years. In Egypt, however, the Nile River was so important; it was given a hymn, as
It is undeniable that the natural environment of ancient Mesopotamia had a profound effect on the earliest civilizations known to the world. Humankind’s ability to control irrigation waters directly correlates with the rise of mass agriculture. With this mastery of their river environment, early farmers were capable of supporting large urban populations. However, in Mesopotamia the Tigris and Euphrates rivers were both a source of life as well as destruction for early societies. In many ways, the geography of ancient Mesopotamia fostered a sense of catastrophic determinism within the Sumerians, Akkadians, and Babylonians. The scarcity of resources as well as the untamable nature of their deluge environment led these early people to
Agriculture was central to ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia; it was the basis of both their economies. While both civilizations utilized agriculture in similar fashions, ancient Egypt had a more stable efficient system due to geographic location and resources, therefore relishing in a more positive economy. The Tigris and Euphrates rivers surrounding Mesopotamia were harsh, unpredictable, and prone to erratic flooding, causing
Known as the “cradle of civilization”, the ancient civilization of Mesopotamia was the first known society that began near rivers. The Tigris and Euphrates were natural barriers as well as a source of maintenance for a growth in population. The rivers served as a source throughout the Fertile Crescent within Mesopotamia. These rivers provided a means of transportation which ultimately led to trading and it had fertile soil. Through trading with other civilizations such as Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro, the economy of Mesopotamia would flourish as well as incorporate cultural diffusion. Settlements were mostly situated along the river banks since the land was more fertile. The Sumerians were one set of people who occupied Mesopotamia in Sumer. The two rivers were able to help them to have urbanization, thus domesticating animals. The city of Harappa and Mohenjo- Daro are also similar to the Mesopotamian civilization because they also built cities along the Indus River, and traded during the ancient times. This river civilization corresponds to that of the Nile River that is located in Egypt. Since Egypt was a desert, the Nile River provided a slew of resources. Tigris and Euphrates were also related to the Nile River because, whenever they flooded over, it was an advantage for farmers because it fertilized the
The earliest civilization in Asia arose around 3500 BCE in Mesopotamia meaning "land between the rivers" because of its convenient location between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. This river valley region's rich soil and access to waterways made early civilization thrive on agriculture and trade. Although much has changed since its beginnings, the Mesopotamian River Valley has continued to grow and develop as a civilization to this day. During the time period 2000 BCE to present, Mesopotamia has changed geographically, religiously, and economically, but the rich resource of the Tigris and the Euphrates river has stayed the same.
The ancient lands of Mesopotamia are unknown territory for many people. It is one of the earliest civilizations in the world. The first great civilization, located between Tigris and Euphrates rivers, was developed in 3500 BC. Word “Mesopotamia” is derived from two Greek words meaning ‘land between two rivers’. The region is a vast, dry plain through which two great rivers flow. People of Mesopotamia were ‘Sumerians’. Tigris and Euphrates created fertile river basins for the region. World’s first cities grew up in Mesopotamia. The people of Mesopotamia were among the first to use the written words and a language of their own. Mesopotamia is known as the “cradle of civilization”. The Tigris and Euphrates rivers provided rich fruitful soil and
Early civilization shared similar common features, because all of these societies were under the same pressures. Their whole purpose was survival as it is to this day. Each societies main focus was to become established, stay in one place provide food, shelter and protection for their families. Early civilizations materialize along rivers, because rivers supplied a continuous and dependable supply of water for farming and human consumption. Agriculture today has had an enormous benefit on today’s society, there are now more farmers growing organic fruits and vegetables because the realize the great health benefits organic foods have on human consumption, providing less risk of pesticides and or chemicals on their food.
Mesopotamia was a successful farming community early on. Utilizing the Tigris and Euphrates rivers this community was able to create a successful way of farming through the use of irrigation and drainage ditches (Duiker & Spielvogel, 2010). Once the use of irrigation became large scale and widely used it was possible to support a larger community base and thus encouraged expansion throughout the civilization.