Mesopotamia Physical Geography

Similarities and Difference of the Role of Physical Geography in the Shaping of Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia During the Bronze Age physical geography played many roles in the shaping of Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia. Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia had many differences but also had their similarities. Their water sources, resources, protection, and the society all affected how these civilizations lived. Physical geography played an important role in the shaping of the civilizations of Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia. Where the role of rivers was similar and led to similar ways of transportation and they also had similar materials for building. The isolation of Egypt by the desert and the close proximity of Mesopotamia to other populations created great differences in the level of effort each civilization had to spend on its own protection. Water was the main
geographical source that was needed to survive in both ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia. Ancient Egypt had the Nile River which was their lifeline because other than the Nile, the Egyptians were surrounded by harsh desert. Between August and September, the Nile had an annual flood which brought a controlled rise of the river that spread over the banks and deposited large amounts of black fertile soil. The Nile through Egypt was around 700 miles long and was also used for as a transportation, connecting Upper Egypt which was in the south and Lower Egypt in the north. Mesopotamian civilizations water source was mainly the Tigris and Euphrates rivers which connected to the Persian Gulf which also allowed them to transport up and down the river. Mesopotamia actually means “the land before the rivers” so it suits well for where its location. These sources of water made it possible for the Mesopotamians to trade with their neighbors in order to acquire resources that Mesopotamians needed to live. Unlike the Nile rivers annual flood, the Tigris and Euphrates rivers could be dangerous at times when flooding but it was one of Mesopotamia’s main assets having the rivers so close to irrigate their land. In volume one of The Western Heritage, the control of warfare could also be important for warfare because enemies could cut off water upstream to force a city to move. Another reason why the Mesopotamians would have to abandon their cities is if the rivers changed their course. Both ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia rely on their water sources to survive.
Resources affected each civilization’s culture. In Ancient Egypt one of the main resources the Egyptians had was the black soil from the Nile river which allowed them to use it to fertilize their crops. The crop yield was higher in Egypt than in Mesopotamia by 30 to 1 with 2 to 3 crops a year. Egyptians also were very into beer production whereas in Mesopotamia they were more into wine. Ancient Egypt was fortunate with the resources they had for building such as copper, turquoise, granite, and basalt. With all of the recourses available to them the Egyptians were able to farm, make sails and sailboats, pottery, metal work, and build little villages. With the production of sailboats transportation along the river was improved. Mesopotamia had a crop yield of 20 to 1 and had 3 crops per year where the main crops were barley and wheat. The Mesopotamians were very fortunate and were available to pasture land, fish ponds, date palms, vegetables, and fruits. Mesopotamia also went through an important transition from copper to bronze which was a harder metal. The main fiber used was wool and they were sometimes available to flax, fur, and leather. Even though the two civilizations had different resources they both had important mineral resources. Each had their own ways of living and surviving off what was available to them in these areas. Finally, physical geography played an important role in the protecting of each civilization.
According to Kagan, thanks to the climate and geography, ancient Egypt was more isolated and enjoyed far more security than Mesopotamia. Since ancient Egypt was tightly arranged around the banks of the Nile River surrounded by harsh desert they did not have to worry as much about being attacked in the Old Kingdom. During the middle kingdom, there was an external evasion where the Hyksos showed up with bronze weapons and then in the New Kingdom the Pharaoh was now seen as the warrior figure. On the other hand, since Mesopotamia was located in a good location where they had plenty sources of food, ect. and had plenty of surrounding civilizations they had to worry about being raided. For protection, Sumerians built walls in small areas and separate walls in small city-states for example in 2,700 B.C. in Uruk they made walls 18 feet thick and a 6-mile circumference which equaled up to the area of 1.4 sq. miles or 900 acres, for a population of 50,000 to 80,000 people in and around the
walls. Altogether, physical geography plays a major role in ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia regarding the water, resources, and protection that all shape the way they live. These two civilizations shared their need for water sources to irrigate their crops, transport and trade as well as the need for important mineral resources that allowed them to build. They also had differences where Mesopotamia had to have protection where ancient Egypt was surrounded by the desert so being raided was not as big as a threat. Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia shared common ways but also had their own cultural ways.