Spanish colonial America and Tokugawa Japan led the world in silver production from 1500 to 1750. The global flow of silver had several effects on social and economic life in various areas of the world. It created a growing inequality in social structure and caused the standard of living to go up. Also, it caused a significant inflation of prices, it destroyed the Spanish economy, and it allowed other European nations not only to afford Asian goods, but make profit off of them by reselling them to other nations.…
Mesopotamia, China, Egypt, and India were all river valley civilizations, meaning they arose in the valleys of major rivers. Mesopotamia arose on the Tigris and Euphrates rivers; china on the Yellow river; Egypt on the Nile river; and India on the Indus river. Irrigation systems were built to control water for farming. All four civilizations were governed by kings who derived their authority form the gods(either they claimed to be a god themselves or they claimed to by appointed by the gods). All were polytheistic and their gods were usually tied to nature. All had hieroglyphic writing systems. The Indus valley civilizations writing system has yet to be deciphered so researchers know little about the civilization. All were a patriarchal society were the eldest male in the extended family had the greatest authority. They all also developed metallurgical skills and made important cultural achievements. In Mesopotamia, the wheel, the sundial, number system based on 60, construction, irrigation systems, mathematics and astronomy, and a writing system; in China, paper, wheelbarrow, watermills, construction, writing system, and irrigation systems. In India, construction, writing system, and irrigation system; in Egypt, writing system, irrigation system, calendar based on 365 days, construction, and a form of papyrus.…
The ancient cultures of Mesopotamia and Egypt developed into successful civilizations because they effectively utilized their surroundings. Rivers being the main geographic feature that led to successful development. From there on they went on to make many innovations to their traditional technology and techniques. These ancient cultures were also able to develop effective ways of governing their civilizations. Religion through cultural diffusion, brought together the city-states and empires created in Mesopotamia and Egypt. This essay will provide the facts that support the success of these ancient cultures.…
This area would be a crossroad because most civilizations lived here and there were surpluses of resources. The result would be more cultural and trade connections and a decrease in resources.…
The Indus Valley Civilization was a Bronze Age civilization between the 3300-1300 BCE and is located today in the northeast of Afghanistan to Pakistan and northwest India. Along with Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia, it was one of the three early civilizations of the Old World and the most widespread. In this essay we will discuss a general description of one of the Indus Valley Civilization city, the Mohenjo-daro. Then, we will compare it to the other types of cities we seen in Egypt and in Mesopotamia. Also, we will discuss whether the city fits into a “city state” or a “territorial state” and if does fit then explain why and if it doesn’t then explain why. If it doesn’t fit to any state, then we will describe the type of city we think it is.…
What truly enables civilization to develop is the need for great natural resources, what I find that both Mesopotamia and Egypt had in common was they were close to the water. This helped and benefited them in a lot of ways. A water source helped them form irrigation systems so they could grow their own food and make a profit from it. Water and the rivers were also a means of traveling. If it were not for the water source close to both civilizations they would not have been able to get around the world for trade.…
civilizations relied on these rivers as a source of food, transportation, and even a means of…
The Nuclear Apocalypse that has blighted our world has caused a task force to be initiated here in the Eastern Shore. This task force composed of the couple hundred survivors left after the catastrophe have created a civilization, Chesapeake City, based on the success of Ancient River Valley civilizations. It is my honor to invite any survivors to come join our civilized society and contribute to strive towards a prosperous life after the destruction of our modern society. Together, we have taken into account all of the important aspects that go into creating a civilization as well as sustaining/maintaining it. These aspects that contributed to our civilization include: the geography, city system, government institutions and common religion, a specialized workforce, technology and resources, and finally a system to record our advancements. Our geographical location, layout of cities, structures, and common religion are adapted from the famous Indus River Valley civilization. The government and laws that keep order within are civilizations are derived from Confucian ideals from the River dynasties in China along with a blend of modern day laws. Finally, our specialization and social order is backed by, but not completely adapted from, the Egyptian empire.…
During the early dynastic period, the early River Civilizations had just come to be. Egypt and The Fertile Crescent were 2 of the civilizations. Different civilizations were developing different things as well as living two different ways of life. In social and intellectual ways, these two civilizations handled themselves in very similar as well as many different ways to function the way they did and remain stable while they could.…
Asia is the cradle of the earliest civilizations. Many early civilizations emerged here because of the fact that water was, and still is, abundant in the area. The Sumerian Civilization, the world’s earliest civilization in the world, emerged in Mesopotamia. They were the first people to invent a system of writing. This was cuneiform. Writing was made possible with the use of a stylus which was made of reed and with the use of this, Sumerians were able to write on clay tablets. Although cuneiform was used only by the ancient Mesopotamians, this led to the subsequent development of the modern writing system. Aside from cuneiform, the early settlers of Mesopotamia also invented the wheel which revolutionized transportation in the modern world. The Sumerians gave the world the ziggurats which served as the home and temple of the city-state’s patron god or goddess. The utilization of wind power by sea vessels was pretty evident in the discovery of sails. As previously stated, farming was the major way of living of the people then which is why with the invention of the plow, agricultural activities were made easier. Other inventions of the Mesopotamians are the water clock, the twelve-month calendar, the use of the principles of geometry, the sexagesimal system or counting by 60s which paved the way for the systematic division of time and the circle, and astrology and the 12 zodiac signs. They were also first ones to utilize bronze in making tools. Furthermore, the world’s first written law was drafted by Ur-Nammu. With the decline of Mesopotamia, other civilizations emerged in the Mediterranean. The Hitties first used Iron, which is more durable compared to bronze. Coins as a form of exchange was developed by the Lydians. The phonetic alphabet that we use now was made by the Phoenicians. (Boncan et al, 2010, pp.…
The Egyptian civilization is considered one of the longest lasting civilization in the world history. It had what was needed to be an ancient civilization. The Ancient Egyptian civilization produced the first government to rule an entire nation. The Pharaoh was the ruler of Ancient Egypt, both politically and religiously of upper and lower Egypt. Although, there were “officials” who helped rule the villages there was a ruler of the entire nation. In ancient Egypt, most cities were located near the Nile River in advantage of the water for agriculture and other uses. Also, this helped the trade to be more efficient and less expensive. For example, the Nile River helped in the transportation during the Bronze Age. Religion is also an important characteristic of the Egyptian civilization. The ancient Egyptians worshipped many gods and goddesses. These Gods were worshipped in temples run by priests. Also, the Egyptians believed in “Afterlife.” The most famous writing system of Ancient Egypt is Hieroglyphics. This system of writing used pictures and symbols, this way they could record information about religion and government. This writing was used in stone monuments and in tombs. The Ancient Egyptians built structures the world have ever seen. These structures such as the Pyramids of Gizeh demonstrated the skills and tools of Ancient Egypt. There had to be mathematicians and engineers to help built these structures. This help us understand the intelligence of the Egyptian civilization. In addition, they had unbelievable skills in medicine. They created technique to repair bones and even do skull surgery. Last but not least, it is proven that when building the different structures not all people were slaves. Some individuals were paid to help. This shows how there were different classes in Ancient…
The ancient River Valley civilizations of Egypt, China, and Mesopotamia all made key contributions to future societies. Hieroglyphics and cuneiform were both systems of language that helped keep records and track of history and events. Hammurabi Code and Confucianism both set laws and ideas to regulate society. Pyramids and Chinese trade both helped expand civilization and allowed societies to grow and establish their own cultures.…
The earliest civilizations that arose in the world developed in the late fourth and the third millennia BC in parts of Asia and north Africa. The three large alluvial systems of the Tigris-Euphrates, the Nile and the Indus supported three great ancient civilizations. Other urban communities also arose during this time. For example, settlement mounds known as tells or tepes, occur in almost all major valleys between Iraq and Pakistan in one direction and between the Caspian Sea and the Indian Ocean in the other and many that have been explored are known to have been occupied in the same period. However, unlike the great civilizations of Egypt, Mesopotamia and Indus, these communities did not form part of a unified economic system, and these small units, though clearly able for a time to support large, wealthy and organized societies, were much weaker than the vast civilizations of the alluvial lowlands.…
It is said that the development of the Mesopotamian society began around 5300 B.C. because of the clashing of urban societies. Around 3300 B.C., the Indus River Valley took sail. Both societies took advantage of their location; furthermore, they relied on agriculture as their way of life. This ‘way of life’ proceeded to stabilize the people of the society. This stabilization triggered the advancements in technology and soon became the reason of such outstanding civilizations.…
There are many major civilizations in the world today. The first four major civilizations all formed in river valleys. These civilizations are Egypt on the Nile River, China on the Huang He River, India on the Indus River, and Mesopotamia on the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. River valleys were a necessity in Early civilizations. The Nile, a river that runs through Egypt played an important role in the creation of the civilization. The river was used for irrigation of their crops. The river made a good soil with a lot of silt. Egypt was called the breadbasket because it produced an incredible amount of grain and crops. The people of Egypt also new exact…