Why did early civilizations begin in river valleys?

Answer 1

Why Did Civilization Begin In the River Valleys?

Mesopotamia is Greek for "land between two rivers." Much of Mesopotamia was located between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. Here, the earliest known civilization developed. But why?

The Tigris and Euphrates rivers run from the northwest to the southeast of this area. Their waters flow slowly, allowing them to collect silt. When they overflow their banks, the rivers bring fresh soil to the river valley. This soil is great for farming. People settled in the valley to grow crops and raise livestock.The earliest civilizations arose in the river valleys of other regions as well. The mighty Nile River provided water and fertile soil for the people of ancient Egypt. In Southeast Asia, cities grew up in the floodplains of the Indus River and other rivers in the region. In northern India, cities developed on the Ganges River. In northern China, the Huang He gave rise to cities. In each of these places, rivers brought rich soils for farming and water for irrigation.

These societies faced certain problems. They could not predict floods or rainfall. The southern part of the region, especially, experienced dry periods. The people found ways to irrigate their lands. They used walls made of earth and canals to control the flow of water from the rivers. This combination of fertile farmland and plenty of water produced more than enough crops to keep a large population fed.

These inventions created a surplus of food which allowed the people to trade farm products for goods they could not produce themselves. It also freed up part of the population to do other things, such as develop crafts. Different people did different types of work. This is known as specialization.

Think about what it takes to run your household and go about your daily activities. Who does which task? How do you get the things you need? Who decides what gets done when? How do you keep track of it all? As settlements grew larger and larger, similar questions needed answering. People developed complex societies, governments, and systems of writing to manage daily life. In this way, early settlements grew into the world's first cities.

Answer 2

As rivers were the main source of transport, waste disposal and water. River valleys also tend to be sheltered from extreme weather and have fertile soil for farming.