Guns, Germs And Steel: A Literary Analysis

Jared Diamond once said in “Guns, Germs and Steel” that says, The success of a society is dependent on geographic location and resources. Although there are various reasons for the prosperity of a society, Ancient Egypt, Ancient Mesopotamia, and Ancient China were successful because they were dependent on geographic location and resources. To begin, Ancient Egypt has the Nile River and the Eastern and Western Deserts. The Nile River is a one of the longest rivers in the world and is very useful to society. Communities in the ancient times settled down by the river as a source of water. “When the Nile River rises and spills over its banks, the river leaves behind a rich deposit of fertile black mud called silt.” (World History Textbook) The

The Fertile Crescent was a fertile piece of land in between the Tigris River and the Euphrates River. It was also in lower and upper Egypt. This fertile piece of land was used as farming land for the settlers in Ancient Mesopotamia. “The Fertile Crescent allowed the communities to also have many surpluses with the crops that grew there.” (World History Textbook) The Fertile Crescent allowed surplus of crops for the communities in Ancient Mesopotamia. With the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers right next to it, the rivers also allowed a water source for the people who once lived there. With the surplus of crops, the Fertile Crescent brought more settlers that brought in new ideas from other land. In addition, “The Zagros Mountains and the Syrian Desert were places of trade for the Sumerians.” (World History Textbook) The Sumerians were ancient Babylonian people. They traded with people of the mountains and the deserts. From this, they brought and received raw materials such as stone, wood, and metal. Ancient Mesopotamia thrived with rich land for farming called the Fertile Crescent and land around it, the Zagros Mountains and the Syrian Desert that not only protected Mesopotamia but brought in new resources for the settlers to grow and advance

The Huang He River, also known as the Yellow River, was a geographic location used by the communities in Ancient China. “This river deposits huge amounts of silt when it overflows its banks. This is actually fertile soil called loess.”(World History Textbook) With the fertile soil called loess, it allowed crops to grow on the fertile soil and allowed the communities to thrive with all the food that was coming from the lands. The Huang He River allowed bigger populations and a great water source for the villagers in Ancient China. Additionally, another geographic area was the Himalayas. “The Himalayas are mountains that play the role as protection and as a natural boundary from outsiders or invaders” (World History Textbook). Since the Chinese thought anyone outside of China was barbaric, they like to use the natural boundaries and man-made walls to protect themselves. The Huang He River and the Himalayas played big roles in allowing Ancient China to be successful for many