Technology and Climate in Iraq
Since civilization was born in ancient Mesopotamia thousands of years ago, technology has been a driving factor in the growth and progress of the peoples of this region. Many of the new and changing technologies have been closely connected to the weather and climate of this unique part of the world. In my opinion, the three most important technological developments for Mesopotamia and Iraq over time have been irrigation, shelter and architecture, and the use of oil.
Before we can make these connections between technology and the climate of Iraq, we must look at what makes this climate unique from others around the world. Iraq’s climate is classified as sub-desert and this gives the region two distinct seasons. First, the summers (May-October) in Iraq are hot, with temperatures often exceeding 120° F.1 Another important characteristic of the sub-desert summers is the lack of rainfall, since summer precipitation rarely climbs above one inch. On the contrary, the winter season normally has up to 10 inches of rainfall and milder, often cold temperatures. Those 10 inches of rain come in strong storms that can often lead to floods since the land is not prepared for large amounts of precipitation.2 Winter temperatures sometimes even drop to around freezing and frosts are not uncommon. Both of these distinct seasons have caused technological developments over the past 7000 years.
As I wrote in my think piece, Mesopotamia is considered to be the birthplace of civilization and this development was fueled by technology. The invention of irrigation techniques around 5000 BC in the region between the Euphrates and Tigris rivers was the foundation for the development of the first towns and cities. Irrig...
... middle of paper ...
...s: Monroe, ME.
“Fossils into Fuel” http://www.schoolscience.co.uk/content/4/chemistry/fossils/p3.html
Lamb, H.H. (1995) Climate, History, and the Modern World. Routledge Press: New York, NY
Pollock, Susan. (1999) Ancient Mesopotamia. Cambridge University Press: New York, NY
Roux, Georges. (1985). Ancient Iraq. Penguin Books: New York, NY
“The Architecture of Irak: The Lost Art of Clay Construction”
http://www.brainworker.ch/Irak/architecture.htm
“The Iraqi Republic” http://i-cias.com/e.o/iraq.htm
“Transportation in Iraq”
http://united-states.asinah.net/american-encyclopedia/wikipedia/t/tr/transportation_in_iraq.html
1 Pollock, Susan Ancient Mesopotamia
2 Roux, Georges Ancient Iraq
3 Pollock
4 Lamb, H.H. Climate, History, and the Modern World
5 “The Architecture of Irak”
6 Everest, Larry Oil, Power, and Empire
7 “Fossils into Fuel”
The ancient cultures of Mesopotamia and Egypt developed into successful civilizations. One civilization the Egyptians developed was in the Nile River valley. Based off the "Mesopotamia and Egypt DBQ" packet, "Ancient Egypt was an advanced civilization in many areas including religion, architecture, transportation, and trade. Ancient Mesopotamia was one of the first civilizations that developed a form of government as well as organized people in political states." Based on the documents, Egypt and Mesopotamia developed into successful and advanced civilizations by effectively using the resources that surrounded them to solve problems and live happily.
Imagine a world without the wheel. Picture a world without math. Now, without knowing time. Well, these are some of the many contributions that the Mesopotamians made to society.
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
During the years of 3500 BC to 2500 BC, the geography of a land often impacted a civilizations development in great measures. Depending on the resources available or the detriments present due to certain topographical characteristics like rivers or deserts, a civilization could flourish or collapse. By studying the geographic features of growing societies like the Nile, Euphrates, and Tigris Rivers as well as the Mediterranean Sea of Egypt and Mesopotamia, the link between developing cultures and geography will be examined through sources, including Egypt: Ancient Culture, Modern Land edited by Jaromir Malek and Babylon: Mesopotamia and the Birth of Civilization by Paul Kriwaczek. To determine the extent of its influence, this investigation will attempt to compare and contrast the role of geography in ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia, focusing on the civilizations’ various periods of development and settlement.
Mesopotamia, the area between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, was and is still an extremely important region for the water it provides. For this and its ability to support agriculture, it’s known also as the Fertile Crescent. It’s also been called the Cradle of Civilization for providing the earliest existence of a civilization.
2) The Assyrians and Hittites changed the political landscape of Western Asia by their superior military organization and their technology. They created new technology and weapons for the military, like launched stone projectiles, armored spearmen, cavalry equipment, and chariots. With these new technologies, military organizations became very strong, and had a better chance of beating their enemy.
The ancient civilizations of Mesopotamia and Egypt began to develop circa 3,000 B.C. Located near rivers, the lands offered fertile soil and an excess of crops that drew in many people. As more people arrived, the small settlements flourished into large, thriving civilizations. Many aspects of Mesopotamia and Egypt, such as their cities, their strongly organized government, and their religion, greatly contributed to the success of these two civilizations.
Millions of years ago the procreant low lands in the river basins of Euphrates and Tigris was probably the home of some animal life, but no great civilizations. However, things change over time, and just a few thousand years ago the same fertile low lands in the river basins of Euphrates and Tigris became the home of a very rich and complex society. This first high society of man was located in what some still call "Mesopotamia". The word "Mesopotamia" is in origin a Greek name meaning "land between the rivers." The name is used for the area watered by the Euphrates and Tigris and its tributaries, roughly comprising modern Iraq and part of Syria. South of modern Bagdad, this alluvial plain was called the land of Sumer and Akkad. Sumer is the most southern part, while the land of Akkad is the area around modern Bagdad, where the Euphrates and Tigris are closest to each other. This first high, Mesopotamian society arose as a combined result of various historical, institutional, and religious factors. The reality of these factors occurring at a specific place within the fabric of space / time indeed established the basis for this first high civilization. Items like irrigation, topography, and bronze-age technical innovations played a big part along with the advent of writing and the practice of social conditioning (through the use of organized religion) in this relatively early achievement of man.
One of the most significant inventions was introduced during the Neolithic period. It was the shift from hunting animals and gathering plants to the production of food. People no longer had to travel long distances to search for water and food because they learned how to grow
Approximately 5500 years ago four of the worlds' most prestigious ancient river civilizations had emerged. Our world has been left in astonishment and awe wondering how these civilizations were developed. Egypt and Mesopotamia were the first ancient river civilizations to create cities and their own ways of living. Society, geography, and religion played an enormous role in the development of the ancient cities. Although there is evidence of early Sumerian contact with the Egyptians, Egypt's civilization was largely self-generated and its history and cultural patterns differed from Mesopotamia.
What contributions did near eastern civilizations make to history? New ideas and inventions of Pre History man were important, but how they evolved and led to new and more complex ideas and inventions is imperative to history. Over time these advancements brought people into a more efficient living environment, making for higher population and spread of cultural, political, economic, and social ideals over large geographical areas.
Cities are the central feature of a civilization. The first cities emerged shortly after farmers began cultivating fertile lands along river valleys and producing surplus foods. These surpluses allowed the population to expand. As population grew, some villages expanded into cities. These cities rose independently in the valleys of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.
Iraq contains a large quantity of paved roads. Due to a lack of car ownership, most Iraqis in major cities travel via taxi or bus. Both cellphones and landlines are commonplace. Iraq is mostly industrialized, meaning they largely have the same technology as the rest of the world. The majority of the industry is oil. Currently, the health care in Iraq is awful. Iraqi doctors are rare and the hospitals lack sufficient staff. Cholera and Typhoid are widespread. Also, due to food shortages, many of the Iraqi citizens are suffering.
Mesopotamia ,now modern day Iraq, is known as the “cradle of civilization” and was located between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in the Fertile Crescent. Mesopotamia was a very rich and very successful civilization; because of its convenient placement it was a very fruitful area having many people and excessive amounts of crops which meant lots of work. With all of these people came some amazing ideas and with ideas came reality. From this ancient civilization came some of the most revolutionary and life changing inventions such as writing, medicine, math and most importantly the wheel. All of these inventions have made an amazing impact on the world we live in now but the most revolutionary invention was the wheel.This invention was by far one of the most important inventions of its time and passes the other inventions such as, math, writing, medicine and other inventions because this made not only work less difficult but life as well ,it Increased supplies and containers, helped explore new lands, made trading with farther places and obtaining more goods easier, fewer men needed for heavy work, etc, while the other invent...
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.