Mesopotamia Urbanization Essay

In Babylon, or Mesopotamia, they have two rivers. The Tigris and Euphrates are very important to the religion and beliefs of the Babylonians. The Tigris and Euphrates often flood uncontrollably, disrupting human society and vanquishing them to the depths of hell. Because of the horror caused by the Tigris and Euphrates, the citizens had a pessimistic outlook on

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.

In Mesopotamia, the Tigris and Euphrates River played a tremendous role in the formation of this

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.

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

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

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

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

According to the document 1, Egyptian civilizations began close to the Nile River because the Nile provided a fetile area in the middle of a dessert located near Africa, these fetile could be use for soil for the plants and crops to grow food and farming. The Nile also beneficials to the people not only for rich soil, but also for the transportation to get from one destination to another and also for trade, which allow Egypt to be open for sharing resources from other area around the world. According the document 2, Mesopotamia are located in Fertile Creasant area, which have lots of river to provide civilization food, transportation, as well as plants. The Tigris and Euphrates rivers located in Fertile Creasant are also essential to the survival of people and the Nile river proves how geographic luck play the big role in both civilizations to be

Ancient Egypt and Ancient Middle East were located by the rivers and depended on them heavily. Ancient Middle East had a civilization, Mesopotamia, that was located between the Tigris and Euphrates river and they used it for many occupancies. “Built dams to hold back the flood waters and irrigation ditches to carry water” (Ellis and Esler 31). This civilization used the river to help with farming. The rivers would flood and it would destroy all their crops. Farming is a necessity in the early times. Farming would allow for the food to be

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 Euphrates is said to be the longest river in Southwest Asia as well as the world's oldest river overall. As mentioned in the poem, the Euphrates is “ancient as the world and older than the flow of human blood in human veins” (Hughes 222), at least figuratively speaking since the Euphrates is approximately 450.000 years old (Muhesen 95-105). This ancient river has been a place of human settlement since the very beginning, and its water has made life possible for those who settled down close to it. In a way, this

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.