The early Chinese civilization began to form along two rivers, the Yellow river and the Yangtze river. For the people of this civilization the Yellow river was of great importance for the development of their civilization. The early Chinese tribes lived in small villages and their central authority was organized into patriarchal lineages; meaning that the men were in charge of family matters. One of the first dynasties of China, the Shang dynasty originated from the Yellow river, and it was mainly viewed as one big family. “During the Shang Dynasty people worshipped many gods. Ancestor worship was very important since they believed their family members became god-like in the after life” (Ancient China). Unlike the early Chinese Civilization, …show more content…
And unlike the Chinese and Egyptian civilizations, the Mesopotamia civilization did not lasted long enough. They had three social classes, which included the nobles, commoners, and just like the Egyptians practiced slavery, so did the Mesopotamians. Mesopotamia was “a collection of city-states, most of them with thick defensive walls because the city-states were often at war with one another” (Ancient Iraq). The people from the Tigris-Euphrates river greatly depended on their river for irrigation. Unlike the Nile and Yellow river, the Tigris and Euphrates rivers were not a dependable source of water. And as a result, farmer had to “used careful irrigation to save water in pools and canals to keep for later use during dry times” (Ancient …show more content…
And similarly to one another, each civilization would not have thrived as a whole society without the help of their respective rivers. All three civilizations had fertile lands that gave a turn for agricultural revolution; they turned from hunter-gathers to learning how to domestic plants. All three civilizations were able to adapt into one particular place and grow food, which led way into a better organized society with a political system that led into what we know now as city-states. Yes, each civilization had different beliefs and each developed their own cultural identity, but nevertheless, they were all aware that would help them fulfill their most human basic
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
Another important factor is the rivers allowed civilizations to have more trade routes, and get to places inland faster, as well as the sea. The societies could trade their resources for ones they didn’t have, which allowed their technology to grow and their populations to expand. Trade “brought in new goods and immigrants” which allowed for an increase of resources and technology. Many of the River Valley Civilizations traded with each other sharing their technology.
Shang ancestor worship and Shang political culture stressed lineage as a source
The river valley civilizations, ancient Egypt and China, were major cities with vast power and influence in the ancient world. Along came large and complex social structures, economics, and cultures. All three of those have similarities and differences between the two civilizations that greatly impacted the course of human history.
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
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 first thing I have learned when I was learning about the civilizations was the river system. There were two rivers in Mesopotamia called the Tigris and Euphrates river. The rivers in Mesopotamia had flooded and damaged crops and destroyed crops, but had
The Shang Dynasty (c.1600-1046 BCE) was the second administration of China which flourish the Xia Dynasty (c. 2700-1600 BCE) after the oust of the Xia tyrant Jie by the Shang pioneer, Tang. Since so many history specialists ask the question that Xia Dynasty truly existed, the Shang Dynasty may have really been the first in china and the source of what must be perceived as Chinese Culture. The dependability of the nation while the Shang Dynasty cause to so many social advances, for example, the calendar, religious customs, and composing. The primary lord, Tang, immediately started to work for the general population of his nation rather than for his own joy and gave a good example to his successors. These men made a stable government which would proceed for a long time however in the end, as indicated by the records of the Chinese students of history, they lost the order of paradise which enabled them to run the show. (Mark and Mark, 2017)
In Egypt specialized labor was a feature to societies in the southern part of the Nile River valley, Egyptian and Nubian lands build patriarchal societies that placed authority in the hands of adult males. The Egyptian economy was really productive because of it’s location and prosperity of the location, Egypt was a center of trade, linking lands in southwest Asia, the eastern Mediterranean, and sub Saharan Africa. The Nile allowed Egyptians to travel back and forth due to the winds, all you needed to do is change your sail. Mesopotamia is known as the fertile crescent. There was much farming in ancient Mesopotamia. Farmers would dig trenches from the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers to keep their soil moist. The Tigris and Euphrates Rivers were very important in Ancient Mesopotamia,
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
According to Hammurabi's Law Code and the Egyptian Book of the Dead, Mesopotamian society valued and strong central authority to ensure prosperity through hard work and vigilance, while Egyptian’s emphasis on faith required humility and submission to one’s superiors to create a stable society. Hammurabi’s Law Code reveals the Mesopotamian values of hard work and self-vigilance while advocating a powerful central authority. Historically, Babylon, as well as all of Mesopotamia, needed to build strong and complex irrigation systems along the Tigris and Euphrates rivers for farming, due to their wild and unpredictable nature. Without such canals, the river’s random flooding rendered farming impossible, and the large scale of this project necessitated a strong central authority to monitor food production. The
One of the most important aspects of a successful civilization is their ability to thrive in agricultural production. Civilizations that were based in Mesopotamia had a great agricultural advantage because the land they were on was extremely fertile and they had two great sources of water: the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. Soon after 6000 BCE, early Mesopotamian cultivators realized the potential of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers and began to build reservoirs and canals to manipulate water in order to irrigate their crops. In Mesopotamia, many citizens farmed fields of barley, wheat, and peas, while Egyptians primarily focused on legumes because of their use in increasing soil fertility and their high protein content. The second civilization
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
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.
Through the archeological discoveries, we can infer some details into the lives of the people who originated in the cities of Mesopotamia. The root word of Mesopotamia refers to ‘between rivers’, this infers to the region between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, figure 1. Because the environment influenced people to settle, we can see a change in their political, social, and economic structure as they begin to form a complex society. This is the period where we see a complex engineering system as people started to develop canals and other technologies for a more efficient agricultural development. An early culture to settle in the lowlands of Mesopotamia were the Hassuna culture, their civilization were characterized by “small settlements with a few hundred inhabitants, who lived in rectangular houses with several rooms” (Feuerbach, 2015). Another culture to settle in this area were the Samarran culture; even