The Indus Valley Civilization best exemplifies the relationship between the rivers and the development of ancient civilizations. Evidence suggests that the origin of the Indus civilization was intimately tied with the rivers and fertile soil the Valley provided. Archeologists believe that somewhere between 90 and 96 Indus Valley settlements were formed along the rivers such as the Indus. Both Mohenjodaro and Harappa, the civilizations largest settlements, were built along the rivers. With such a close relationship with the cities of the Indus Valley civilization, could a natural disaster have led to the sudden collapse of the civilization?
In recent years, disasters caused by massive floods in the Indian subcontinent as well as all over the world have highlighted the extensive damage and destruction that occurs in the wake of floods. Geological research has shown that some rivers are clearly more prone to heavy flooding than others. These rivers with high flood rates also tend to have unstable courses in which they travel. The Indus River belongs to this threatening category as it experiences high flood rates from the melting of snow in the Himalayas. In the spring of 1826, the Indus River bulled through every dam in its course, creating a passage for itself straight through an old channel that discharged into Koree creek, and spread across the Sind desert. The destruction was significant as the flood was sudden and powerful killing hundreds. Historian M.R Sahni suggests that the Indus River has experienced previous episodes of flooding, perhaps on a far greater scale. Evidence suggests that the Indus River had experienced devastating floods during the time of the IVC, which could partly, or even completely account for the col...
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... ancient times. However, multiple archaeobotanical studies by the University of Edinburgh have detected a decrease in both the number of flora present as well as a decline of the biomass. A population in Mohenjodaro that was rapidly rising would naturally have encouraged an intense and unsustainable over-exploitation of local resources. Similarly, an increasing population also puts an enormous amount of pressure on the urban infrastructure, which hit by a multi-faceted failure of productivity, resource exploitation and an unmanageable population, would have simply collapsed unable to sustain the growing demands. While the environmental degradation by the population theory has evoked widespread credibility as a reason for the decline of this civilization, it is unlikely that failing resources would have doomed the Indus Valley civilization suddenly and swiftly.
A major flood on any river is both a long-term and a short-term event, particularly any river basin where human influence has exerted "control" over the ri...
During the time of early civilizations people were creating communities, societies, cultures, political structures and religions all new to our world. It was trying times and ages of awakenings. Religion played a major part role in the history of our world and mankind some of the religions discovered at this time are still practiced today, and some have faded away. The two early civilizations that stand out to me are Mesopotamia and India. Although the two share some similarities, the differences in religious beliefs between Mesopotamia and India are clear.
When analyzing ancient civilization and how it began, there are many elements and aspects that should be considered. Questions such as how did civilization begin? What lead to its creation? Where did it begin, and why in that particular location? Many of these questions can be examined and answered by researching what many believe is the world’s earliest civilization, Mesopotamia. It is widely believed that this region was chosen and supported one of the world’s first civilizations. This area was settled over 10,000 years ago by a group of people known as the Sumerians (Cunningham & Reich, 2010).
Who the earliest settlers were in the United States is controversial, as is where they came from and how they got here. A few different scientist has done studies on this and came up with different theories. Some believe they came by foot from Asia across the Bering Strait during the Ice Age while following mammoths for food (Shultz, n.d.). Others believe they came by boat following whales and searching for fish to eat. There are a few different theories. With this said, what we do know is the earliest settlers were the Paleo-Indian; how they got here or from where they came from is basically irrelevant.
In the novel Collapse: How societies choose to fail or succeed, the author Jared Diamond illustrates how environmental problems in today’s society are linked with many of the same problems that have caused the collapse of ancient civilizations in the past. The purpose of his book is to show that if people do not take care of the land while there is time, the whole world could end up collapsing just like many other ancient civilizations. In the prologue, Diamond defines “collapse” as “A drastic decrease in human population size and/or political/economic/social complexity, over a considerable area, for an extended time.” (Page 3).
The Nile and Indus River Valley civilizations were both unique civilizations in their own way in comparison. Yet despite being separated by thousands of miles there are similarities in these two ancient civilizations. It is seen that amongst ancient civilizations, rivers are fundamental for them to prosper and provide for a relatively stable society for which a people can grow and develop. There are general similarities with pinpoint differences as well as general differences with pinpoint similarities. Both civilizations have left their influence on human civilization and history, with their unique characteristics of their religion, way of life, social classes, cultures, technological advancements, government systems, rulers and notable
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
The example of societal collapse in which I will be making reference to throughout this essay is the Maya civilization. The Maya civilization is, “probably the best known of all early American civilizations.” (Fagan, 1995) It was at its strongest point between AD 300 AND 900. Around AD 900 was the time of its collapse. This civilization was developed in a densely, tropical forest on either highlands or lowlands. Today to visit a Mayan site, people would go to the modern Mexican state, capital city of Merida. This site was once home to the “New World's most advanced Native American civilization before European arrival.” (Diamond, 2009) Over the years there has been many predictions on what had caused the Maya civilization to collapse. At the moment the most recent cause that geographers and scientists have come up with is that climate change may have had a major impact on this collapse. It is said that the rainfall received during the creation of the civilization was a key factor in the continuity of life for the Mayans. This and the addition of societal factors such as religious beliefs, ethnicity and education all had an affect on their way of life, an effect on their societal well-being. Art and architecture that was formed by the Mayans is the foundation for the archaeologists work today. They look at these features and the ruins of the buildings created to depict the kind of lifestyle they lived. Looking at the art and architecture of a specific civilization or community of the past is just one way that can help to inform future adaptations. Another way in which the Europeans received knowledge on the collapse was that they sent out geographers and researchers not long after the collapse to gather as much data and information ...
"Collapse: Why Do Civilizations Fall?" Out of the Past. Annenburg/CPB Multimedia. 1998. *http://www.learner.org/exhibits/collapse/mayans.html* (30 Jan. 2001).
The Western culture has evolved over a span of several years with various civilizations specializing in specific aspects of life or nature. In essence, Western civilization dates back to the BCE periods when Ancient Greece, Mesopotamia, and Ancient Rome reigned. Each of the Western civilizations came with a clear lineage that portrayed such attributes as property rights, free market economy, competition, personal freedoms, and innovation (Perry, 2013). Besides, the western civilizations came at different periods with some of the attributes evolving or remaining unchanged throughout the lineage. However, the non-western civilizations contributed towards such attributes to a given extent, primarily because of the interactions among
The Mayan Civilization was a very well developed civilization. Their way of life and how they survived is remarkable. The Mayans created several things that we use today. This civilization started small and expanded to a culture that still exists. The Mayans had strong beliefs in their gods.
This paper explores life at Mehrgarh and its importance as one of the major cities of the Indus valley civilization. Mehrgarh represents long chronological sequence from the 7th millennium to the 3rd millennium B.C. which has been divided into seven main periods from the Pre-Ceramic Neolithic to the Bronze Age. The third period belongs to the farming society (agriculture and animal husbandry).
The Indus Valley is primarily known for the rise of a large civilization, and this took place in the not so distant past. The first settlers in the Harappan area established themselves near the Ravi River around 3300 BC in a small agricultural village ( Kenoyer 3). The date of 3300 BC means that agriculture in the Indus Valley first appeared a mere 3000 years ago. Though the first agricultural settlements may have been small, large cities eventually developed. Other archaeological records estimate the age early Indus Valley occupation at between 2175-1750 BC ( Fitzsimons 10). So through this information it can be concluded that the early Indus Valley had agricultural beginnings within the last 3500 years. The region lies in a lowland valley along the Indus river, the Himalaya mountains, along with other river tributaries feed the river causing severe flooding ( Fitzsimons 11). Due to the severe flooding in the Indus Valley technological innovations had to take place to combat the problem. “Against the menace of the river the men of this civilization built huge walls of brick surfaced with baked brick” ( Fitzsimons 11). Although little evidence of irrigation has been found, perhaps due to the close pro...
The factors that lead to the “collapse” of civilizations are almost directly related to those that created it. Archaeologists characterize collapse by a number of elements, some of which we have evidence for, others we do not. Most archaeologists are unsure of exactly what caused the decline of most civilizations in the ancient world, yet there are many clues to some of the events that could have contributed. The collapse of the ancient Roman Empire, the Mesoamerican Mayan, and the Egyptian cultures will be discussed in the following paragraphs, with a focus on the uniqueness of each.
“Measuring and recording the level of the annual flood was a matter of national importance; the device used for this task was called a “Nilometer”.” The Nile River flooded annually during the time of late summer to autumn, and left behind a mass of perfect soil for the Egyptians. These crops would sprout and flourish during the winter, ready to harvest in the spring. The Egyptians were wary of the seasons, as they discovered that a year consists of 365 days. It was a simple, and convenient method of survival, especially as Egypt contains the Sahara Desert, a harsh and prominently desolate region. There was no need for complex irrigation systems in Egypt, but the river was also utilized in the form of canals, dykes, and dams. The canals were used for the spread of the Nile’s floodwaters to maximize the amount of harvesting area. The Egyptians were smart; in that they knew not to take the river’s floods for granted.