The Functions of Geography Throughout the Time Periods of History

The Greek interest in philosophy led to asking questions about the world and therefore intellectual discoveries. Mathematic contributions included the works of Pythagoras and Euclid. Greek science however did not make as much advancement. Roman scholars contributed political theory. Romans also contributed their engineering and architecture, which is still iconic today. They managed to create buildings that were incredibly structurally sound. Art and literature was also a large part of Mediterranean culture. Artistic contributions account for much of what has been preserved from Greco-Roman

History and geography are undividable; they represent two fundamental dimensions of the same phenomenon. History is the broader field, which involves human experience from the perspective of time. Geography's concern is narrower; its main focus is on human interaction with the physical environment from the perspective of space. Therefore, it can be said that these dimensions of time and space are in a perpetual interactive feedback loop in which one dimension is affected by the other one. History is as much shaped by geography as it is by almost any other factor. The physical geography of any region is the stencil upon which its history is drawn. Knowing what the features of the stencil are, it fluently allows us to understand the history more quickly and easily.

In Greece, the geography affected early settlements in positive ways. An example is Mount Olympus, since it was so high up and covered by clouds, Greeks believed Gods lived there. Document 2 states, ”According to the ancient Greeks, their gods controlled every part of daily life--the weather, crops, money, love, and business, phases of the moon, earthquakes, and even whether a loaf of bread burned in the oven.” This proves that ancient Greeks not being able to see the top of the mountain, made them believe the gods were up there, and it gave them an explanation to everything. Another one is, how hot and dry climates were great for growing olive trees. In document 4 it states, ”Olive oil was as good as money to the ancient Greeks, since they could trade it for other land not available

Geography had a tremendous impact on early civilizations, the topography of the different regions played a key role in their development and formation. This statement by Fernand Braudel “ Geography is the stage in which humanity’s endless dramas are played out” (Getz et al., Exchanges, 26) is a very moving and telling description. The terrain, whether it is natural or man made is not the end all, be all. It does however affect the stage a great deal. Mountainous areas act as blockades, which keep the societies independent, plains open up the area, and rivers enable everything to move around freely. 2

The geography of the region shaped the lives of the people in the Ancient World by allowing permanent settlements to flourish, by allowing technology to adapt, and by isolating them from other cultures. The geography of a civilization can range from mountains, deserts, oceans, and forests. This can allow for many advancements and setbacks.

2. Ptolemy 's Geography: It was the work of Ptolemy, an astronomer who lived in the Roman Empire in the second century. It summarized the knowledge of the classical world about geography. It was more accurate than medieval cartography, as it showed the world as round; however, since the Americas were unknown, the world resulted much smaller. Ptolemy’s Geography, merged with the latest information from mariners, constituted the maps that European explorers used in their expeditions.

Geography affected where ancient civilizations settled in several ways. The three ways that geography affected where ancient civilizations are water sources, fertile soil, and natural barriers. If a community did not have these essential resources, they would perish. Human civilizations started because of these three key items. Fertile soil was necessary if a community did not want to starve.

One example, of a positive of the geography of Ancient Greece was the hot, dry climate that as stated in Document 4 was perfect for growing olive trees. Olive trees were important because they were valuable, for from olive trees the Greeks could make olive oil which according to Document 4 could be used to trade for goods that were not available in Greece

There is a saying that “Geography is destiny”. For early civilizations, geography was an obstacle when it came to survival. As people settled in permanent locations, they relied on the local geographical features to sustain themselves. As people relied on geography, it helped shape the development of early civilizations, such as to provide many natural barriers, trade routes, and fertile land. China, for example, was able to develop and prosper due to its natural barriers.

4. Analyzing geographic information: involves seeking patterns, relationships and connections, noting such things as similarities, trends and differences over space and time

The geography of early Western civilizations greatly affected their development economically, politically, and socially. There are a Number of different first wave and second wave civilizations. The ones that I will be discussing include Mesopotamians, Egyptians, and Greeks. Each of these civilizations proved a number of different ways that their geography affected their development.

Geography affected the development of early civilizations in many ways. Some civilizations had no natural barriers, allowing invaders and other outsiders were able to take over the certain civilization. However, other civilizations did have natural barriers that allowed them to stay distant from intruders and foreigners, allowing their civilization to grow. Lastly, as civilizations settled along the rivers, it would constantly flood, but some civilizations predicted the flooding and some actually didn’t. These are some of the reasons how geography affected the development of settling civilizations.

Robinson, Nick. “Ways in Which Geography Impacted Rome’s Development.” The Geography of Ancient Rome, The Seven Hills of Rome, Punic War and The Geography of Transport Systems, by Eduplace et al. seattlepi, Hearst Seattle Media, education.seattlepi.com/ways-geography-impacted-romes-development-5570.html. Accessed 20 Feb. 2017.

There are six essential elements of geography. One of them includes “the world in spatial terms.” This can help to identify where a place is, though they know where it is you have to know where you are first. Once you know your location, you can orient yourself to the destination. If I wanted to get to Canada and I didn't know where I was to begin with, then I would have any sense of where Canada was located. If I knew I was on York, Maine, then I could look at a map and see that Canada is to the north. Another essential element is “places and regions.” This describes human and physical regions. To understand what makes an area a place or region, you would have to look at these characteristics of the area. To understand the region of New England,

As an intellectual discipline, geography is divided into the sub-fields of physical geography and human geography, the latter concentrating upon the study of human activities, by the application of qualitative and quantitative research methods.