Comparing Mesopotamia, Indus River Valley, China And Egypt

How the Early Civilizations Were Alike

The early civilizations- Mesopotamia, Indus River Valley, China and Egypt were very similar, and mainly rose due to the same resources: Access to Water, Government and Trade. The civilizations formed due to rich soils from nearby rivers. In the Fertile Around 1500 BCE rain never fell over the mountains. In order to keep the crops and soil from drying out, irrigation canals were formed that brought water to the crops. Having water to irrigate the crops was able for the farmers to grow more, and make for food for people to eat. More food for people to eat was able to make the population grow. The canals also led to tanks to store water. 2,000 years later (due to the rich soils that were farmed earlier) the first civilization was formed- Mesopotamia. Another

It grew barley and wheat, and flax- a plant that produced fibers that were woven into fabrics. The crops were watered from irrigation and were fed through natural wells, and annual floods. This main farming civilization is where Egypt is today. Shortly after Mesopotamia was formed (around 3000 BCE) another civilization was formed near the valley of the Indus River. The river flooded every summer, depositing a layer of fertile silt that made the soil easy to farm. The fertile soil brought farmers to the land, and villages were built. The river flooded farther out, so the civilization was spread out farther than Egypt and Mesopotamia. Another civilization formed farther west, where China is today. The early Chinese civilizations formed in the valleys of the Huang He and the Chang Jiang- the 2 river systems that ran through China. Farmers were drawn to China, because of the fertile yellow soil (loess). Due to the lack of rainwater, Chinese farmers used dry farming, and grew