Water has been an important part of human history, but how exactly did it influence certain characteristics of human development? In Merry Weisner’s book Discovering Global Past: A Look at the Evidence, she provides the sources to prove how the need for a steady supply of water affected much of the progress in human society and raises the question, “How did the need for a steady supply of water affect the technological, economic, political, and legal developments of ancient societies?” (35). The answer is that water affected each one of these developments immensely.
The need for a steady supply of water affected the technological developments of ancient societies in a number of ways. The first is that it affected the placement and structure of ancient cities and structures as shown in Source 8 (44), 9 (45), and 11 (46). Source 8, Sima Qian’s Description of the Building of the Zhengguo Canal, ca. 100 B.C.E., discusses the rivalry between the Han and the Chinn, which were both located along the Ching River for easy access to water. Source 9, Suetonius’s Description of the Water Projects Undertaken by Emperor Claudius (r. 41-54 C.E.), talks of how Claudius filled his city with water by using an aqueduct and making a drainage canal, completely modifying the city and the usage of water in it. Source 11, Frontinus’s Discussion of Rome’s Water System, tells of making extraordinarily high arches to get water to the upper parts of Rome so that the rich districts could simplify the process of getting water. Next is that it caused larger and more complex structures to be built which we can see by comparing different sources, for example Source 3 (43) and Source 6 (43) the technological advancement is easily seen, the Shaduf only allowed on...
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...see the water and agricultural projects. Source 10 (46) tells of a man who traveled inspecting water usage and helping to build irrigation methods. Rulers, such as Frontinus, as shown in Source 11 (46) had to make laws about water usage. Source 7 (44) shows an entire section of Hammurabi’s code dedicated to what should happen to a man if he does not properly canal or acts in an unjust manner with water usage. Not only did water affect technological developments and the economy, it also brought forth new areas in politics and laws.
Water greatly affected technological, economic, political, and legal developments. Technology has to advance in order to get more water while the economy, politics, and laws began to change due to the need for more water, and to this day it has had a lasting effect. Water will always play a major role in our past, present, and future.
Jared Diamond, author of the Pulitzer Prize Winning, National Best Selling book Guns, Germs and Steel, summarizes his book by saying the following: "History followed different courses for different peoples because of differences among peoples' environments, not because of biological differences among peoples themselves." Guns, Germs and Steel is historical literature that documents Jared Diamond's views on how the world as we know it developed. However, is his thesis that environmental factors contribute so greatly to the development of society and culture valid? Traditions & Encounters: A Brief Global History is the textbook used for this class and it poses several different accounts of how society and culture developed that differ from Diamond's claims. However, neither Diamond nor Traditions are incorrect. Each poses varying, yet true, accounts of the same historical events. Each text chose to analyze history in a different manner. Not without flaws, Jared Diamond makes many claims throughout his work, and provides numerous examples and evidence to support his theories. In this essay, I will summarize Jared Diamond's accounts of world history and evolution of culture, and compare and contrast it with what I have learned using the textbook for this class.
The book tells the history of human civilization through the development of our food production and culture. A highly relevant book to present although food is a special type of natural resource or products hereof and history is a wider subject than conflict. The gradual transition towards hierarchical social order is described. Especially the significance of irrigation is compelling.
"Water Management in the Ancient World." Science and Its Times. Ed. Neil Schlager and Josh Lauer. Vol. 1. Detroit: Gale, 2001. Student Resources in Context. Web. 4 Apr. 2014.
Rooted in the conditions of water sources, reliable water not only impacted the formation of economies, but also helped them flourish.
Even though the Nile River valley, Mesopotamian and the Indus Valley civilizations all surrounded bodies of water, they each had individual geographic characteristics which largely contributed to their development. The Sumerian people of Mesopotamia developed complex irrigation systems in order to control the flow of rivers, due to unpredictable flooding of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers into the regions soil (Duiker and Spielvogel 9). The Sumerians
The first civilization to rise was the Mesopotamia, located in present day Iraq, between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers, and Egypt, along the Nile River. It’s split in two ecological zones. In the south Babylonia (irrigation is vital) and north Assyria (agriculture is possible with rainfall and wells). By 4000 B.C.E., people had settled in large numbers in the river-watered lowlands of Mesopotamia and Egypt. Archaeologists have shown that large-scale irrigation appeared only long after urban civilization had already developed, meaning major waterworks were a consequence of urbanism (population). Mesopotamia cities were made of people called the Summerians in the land of Sumer located on the south of Babylonia. The Summerian city was one of
How did geography impacted life in Ancient River Valley Civilizations such as Ancient Mesopotamia and Egypt? First of all, geography of an area was a major factor into developing civilizations because they can provide many advantages. It can help people with their jobs as well as make the civilization settle their. In conclusion, geography in Ancient Mesopotamia and Ancient Egypt has impacted life in many ways such as trade and agriculture.
Without water we cannot live for more than 3 days on Earth. The Dow Chemical Company states: irrigation systems can be traced back as 3000 BC (Dow 1995). This shows the will of the people to get what they needed to live and thrive in an area that is not next to a water source. Ivey Engineering and their workers: discovered copper pipe in the palace ruins of the Indus River Valley in India (4000 BC- 3000 BC) (Ivey Engineering 2015). This shows that people have altered where they live to make their way of life easier so they can focus on other thing like getting a larger crop or building a new barn.
Water has had a very important role that has evolved together with society. It is in the recent history when the unsustainable development and wrong policies have produced an immense pressure on water resources affecting their quality and availability.
Karl August Wittfogel was a philosopher during the early part of the 20th century Europe. He was known for his belief that the ancient civilization of Egypt and Mesopotamia was unable to reach their full potential because of their lack of knowledge about irrigation systems. The theory of “Hydraulic Civilizations” was developed by Karl Wittfogel and in his book “Oriental Despotism”. Hydraulic Civilizations was described as places of agricultural system that was dependent on the crucial government, directed water systems for irrigation and flood management. Wittfogel described Egypt, Mesopotamia, Northern China, India, and pre-Columbian Mexico and Peru as Hydraulic civilizations. The hydraulic theory of civilization was a foundation stone in the cultural ecology movement.
One very important advancement was the irrigation system. This system supplies dry land with water by means of ditches, pipes, or st...
Providing extremely fertile soil is one, if not the most important, roles the Nile River played in the life of the ancient Egyptians. By providing fertile soil, the Nile made it easy for cities and civilizations to grow alongside the banks of the river. This fertile soil comes from the annual flooding of the Nile. This replenishes the top soil with silt deposits that hold much needed nutrients for crops to grow. Ancient Egyptians developed highly complex irrigation methods to maximize the effect of the Nile waters. When the Nile overflows in mid summer, Egyptians divert the waters through the use of canals and dams. As the water seeped into the farm land, rich deposits of silt ensured a good harvest for the year. This allows the civilizations of Egyptians to grow enough food to feed the community. Without the annual flooding of the Nile, Egyptians would have a very difficult time growing necessary amount food to sustain life. Most of the land in the Egyptian nation is dry desert. Very little rain falls year round here. The river provides the needed water to grow the crops as well as provide drinking water for the people. Th...
The. Drinking Water: A History. New York: Overlook Duckworth, 2012. Print. The.
Freshwater in the world makes up only a small portion of water on the planet. While the percentage of water in the world is nearly 70%, only 2.5% is consumable. Even further, only <1% is easily accessible to basic human needs. According to National Geographic, “by 2025, an estimated 1.8 billion people will live in areas plagued by water scarcity, with two-thirds of the world's population living in water-stressed regions as a result of use, growth, and climate change.” With this current trend, water will become more immersed in environmental, economic, political, and social changes. Many of these in later years shall need to be addressed as tension rises:
Ancient Mesopotamia was one of the first of the ancient civilizations. It formed in present-day northeastern Egypt, in the Fertile Crescent. The Fertile Crescent is a crescent-shaped region of good farmland created by the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. The first people to settle in Mesopotamia made important contributions to the world, such as wheeled vehicles, and an early form of writing called Cuneiform. Later, the Phoenicians here developed an alphabet much like the one we use today. Also, the Sumerians of this region developed algebra and geometry. Most importantly, the Sumerians made extensive irrigation systems, dikes, and canals to protect their crops from floods. The Great Hammurabi of Babylon, another empire in the Fertile Crescent, made the Code of Hammurabi. It was the first significant set of laws in history. Also, the Hittites and the Lydians settled in Mesopotamia. The Hittites developed a way to produce strong plows and weapons. The Lydians created a system of coined money. The contributions from the region of Mesopotamia in ancient times are still used today and are very useful.