How Did Geography Affect The History Of Mesopotamia?

For the trade these civilizations needed to pass through Mesopotamia’s territory. As a result, Mesopotamian’s had an access to recourses which were not native, like timber and precious metals. As a result, Mesopotamia developed key aspects of civilization, like a token system to keep trading records. Although Mesopotamia’s soil was fertile the region did not have much rainfall. This initially made farming difficult but two major rivers Tigris and Euphrates were sources of water that enabled wide-scale farming.

Due to the significant differences between the behaviors of the Nile and Tigris/Euphrates rivers, there were multiple differences between the way that both civilizations created their cities. As previously stated, Mesopotamia was regularly threatened by the flooding of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers; causing the civilization to construct multiple independent cities with protective walls at their borders. Since the size of each Mesopotamian city was restricted by its protective borders, each city was compact with congested alleyways and streets; each housing crowded single or multileveled living quarters and shops that circled a large ziggurat. The way in which Mesopotamian cities were constructed was significantly different than that of ancient Egypt, for the Egyptian civilization was less urbanized and composed of loose, peasant-centric cities. This lack of discipline found in the formation of ancient Egyptian cities was mainly due to the Nile river's calm behavior; meaning that the Egyptians did not require walls or extensive canals to protect their cities and facilitate farming. Without the need for restrictive walls, the Egyptians were enabled to farm freely on the banks of the Nile river.

The ancient cultures of Mesopotamia and Egypt develop into successful civilizations by having floods from the nile river that provided water, food and fertile area in the middle of the desert as document 1 states. In document 2 it says that they also had rivers that provided many resources such as transportation, trade as well as plants, the rivers were surrounded by deserts.

Mesopotamia’s land required more work than Egypt 's because of their unscheduled flooding. The land in Mesopotamia was fertile, but was very harsh due to the amount of excess water coming off the two rivers. The people in Mesopotamia had a bad world view because they were constantly working and fixing the land and it would get ruined again after the flooding because it was constant. The Epic of Gilgamesh connects to the flooding of the river because his writings showed how the Mesopotamians were under the mercy of the gods. It also described how the Mesopotamians had to keep fixing their land after the unscheduled flooding.

Technology has advanced immensely over 10 million years and very much shapes our society today. When a natural disaster occurs, even though our technology allows us to minimize loss and damages, they are still terrifying and catastrophic. One can only imagine the fear and devastation a culture like Mesopotamia would suffer after a flood. Being close to rivers helped the Mesopotamians thrive technologically and economically. The rivers also however provided great distraught and devastation when they would flood.

One of the cultures of ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia developed into successful civilizations is by their water sources. In document 1, the river Nile in Egypt flooded every year, which gave the land around it soft fertile ground, great for planting crops. Most people lived near the river. In document 2, the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, which was also called the Fertile Crescent, provided food, transportation, and plants. They were especially populated since the area had deserts and mountains. Another reason is their rulers. As stated in document 3, the ancient Egyptian looked at their ruler, the pharaoh, as one of their gods in a human form, serving them well and deciding what’s best for the country. Quoting document 4, the people of Mesopotamia

During the years of 3500 BC to 2500 BC, the geography of a land often impacted a civilizations development in great measures. Depending on the resources available or the detriments present due to certain topographical characteristics like rivers or deserts, a civilization could flourish or collapse. By studying the geographic features of growing societies like the Nile, Euphrates, and Tigris Rivers as well as the Mediterranean Sea of Egypt and Mesopotamia, the link between developing cultures and geography will be examined through sources, including Egypt: Ancient Culture, Modern Land edited by Jaromir Malek and Babylon: Mesopotamia and the Birth of Civilization by Paul Kriwaczek. To determine the extent

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

Egypt and Mesopotamia were successful civilizations because they were able to adapt to their harsh surroundings because of the influence of their powerful leaders. This is first example of this when it mentions that their only building tool was mudbrick due to their lack of resources(document 1). They were able to brilliantly adapt to their surroundings and were able to invent things like the arch and the dome out of hardened mud. Mud brick was also used to create the ziggurat(document 7). Mud brick was their only resource because they were so isolated from everything else. They also could really only inhabit the euphrates river because the Tigris river would flood a lot, so that’s why all of the cities are on the Euphrates (document 2).

Mesopotamia was an ideal place to start civilization. It has natural barriers as well, which are rivers and mountains. Because the rivers surrounded Mesopotamia, it was suitable for farming. With the Map of Mesopotamia and the Fertile Crescent seen in document 2, it can be proven that the area of Mesopotamia is located in the Fertile Crescent. In Mesopotamia, farming

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

The overflow, flooding, or lack thereof of the rivers as well as weather differences contributed greatly to the economic stability of each country. As previously stated, Mesopotamians were farmers. The flooding of the Tigris and the

The first civilizations and the rise of empires began with small groups or villages existing with the use of hunting, fishing, and foraging. (William J. Duiker and Jackson J. Spielvogel, World History, vol. 1, 1) Within a few thousand years, people learned how to cultivate food crops and this led to an increase in population. Increased food production resulted in larger communities. The cities began to expand their cultural and religious developments leading to the beginnings of civilization. (Duiker, World History, 1) The first civilizations emerged in Mesopotamia and Egypt during the fourth and third millennia B.C.E and had various components in common. Each of these civilizations was established in a river valley so they were able to provide and produce the agricultural resources needed to survive and uphold the population. (Duiker, World History, 1) Mesopotamia developed in the valley between the Tigris and Euphrates River known as “the land between the rivers.” These rivers provided irregular and catastrophic flooding for the city-state. They created an intensive irrigation system to improve their agriculture. The first people to create Mesopotamian civilization were known as the Sumerians. These people were the first city builders and created the major city’s named Eridu, Ur, Uruk, Umma, and Lagash. These cities were built with surrounding walls and defense towers. A six-mile-long wall enclosed the city of Uruk. Mesopotamia lacked

The very first city developments were cropped up from agriculture in Mesopotamia. Propitiously the entire region of Mesopotamia was very rich because of the silt that was withdrawn from deluges. Unfortunately, the climate consisted of a dearth of rainfall; but when it did rain, it usually resulted in deluges and ultimate devastation of crops and homes. As said before, whenever water levels got too lofty, it would flood -- people were ignorant of the solution at the time. Whenever water levels got too low, the crops would wilt and the Mesopotamians are left with famine. Since starving was a constant dilemma, the people of Mesopotamia needed to find a way to control the water. It took some time for them to find out, but what they had required

Mesopotamia was a very large flood plain civilization. Although the area had a harsh climate and little to no rainfall, the Mesopotamians were able to survive off the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. This specific floodplain is home to a very large fertile crescent. This fertile soil drew many people to the rivers. These people thrived off the land. Egypt also had a floodplain. The people of Egypt lived off of the Nile River, a very fertile river that flowed through the valley. South and East Asia also had floodplains. South Asia had the Indus River Valley. Indus Valley covered 300,000 square miles. The floodplain was by the Indus and Saraswati Rivers. The population grew rapidly in this civilization due to the good farming and surpluses of food.