The Rise Of Cities And Hydraulic Civilizations
Hydraulic civilization is the earliest form of ancient civilization mostly associated with the role played by massive water bodies. Focusing on Egyptian and Mesopotamia civilizations, it is clear that the water was the key element in the growth of cities, innovations to serve the people’s needs as well as trade to acquire lacking commodities. This essay will therefore explore the hydraulic Egyptian and Mesopotamia civilizations.
Geography is the key element in the rich history of Egyptian civilization. The Nile River which rises from the mountains of Ethiopia and from the central part of Africa as Blue Nile and the White Nile respectively flow northward to the Nile delta and drains into the Mediterranean sea. Since most of the parts in Egypt were uninhabitable, most people lived along the river and practiced agriculture using the flow from River Nile (Grimal, 1994). The soils were very rich due to the rich alluvial soils brought along during the summer when the Nile flooded from the increased rains and the melting of the snow down the mountains.
Due to the establishment of highly developed irrigation methods, there was plenty of food produced from this river which led to increase in population. In addition, there were innovations in craft including pottery which enhanced safety food storage. Consequently, the people felt that there was need for other goods such as metal and they travelled far and wide for batter trade. This time is also associated with the building of large architectural structures by the Kings. In fact the building of the pyramid of Giza was done during summer when there was plenty of foods (Grimal, 1994). Egypt developed highly engineering expertises that were able to build several structures around the city.
Similarly, Mesopotamia civilization is attributed to two rivers, the Tigris and Euphrates which provided water for farming. The idea here is the same as that in Egypt; the people took advantage of the annual overflowing of the two rivers for irrigating their fields. With increased population and needs, complex irrigation methods were introduced to enable larger fields to be put under irrigation. This was supervised by a priest as the ancient people associated rivers with life. The priest was rewarded for his divine leadership with surplus production which necessitated the building of large temples and storehouses that would accommodate the offerings.
As a result, there was an increase in settlement around the temple to supply the priest with accountants, guards and builders to expand and manage the growing city. With several priests owing to the pressure of increased offerings, the creation of new temples, stores and hiring more employees led to the growing of numerous cities in Mesopotamia (The Flow of History, 2008). The need for other goods such as metal, wood and other goods influenced residents to travel across borders to exchange the surplus food with these items. This brought about trade.
Nonetheless, the ancient civilization of Greek hydraulic began 3000 BC and as a result, it contributed to politics, philosophy, arts and physical sciences. There were various technical works that were constructed in order to enhance the projects (hydraulic projects). They used an advanced technology, which sustain water management practices, and due to this, a life standard was highly improved. The use of advanced technology enhanced water supply, flood protection, drainage of lands and cities, sanitary amenities and sometimes for recreational function. Up to present, there are various wells, cisterns, aqueducts, dams, siphons, tunnels, and other hydraulic structure are still there in Greek territory, which act as an evidence.
In summary, hydraulic civilization can largely be explained by agricultural revolution. As noted from the two civilizations discussed, the use of water for food production led to a chain of developments that are termed as civilization. Rivers played a great role especially in Mesopotamia, where water was traded for other goods in neighborhoods that had water scarcity.
Processing your request, Please wait....
