The Importance of Major Rivers to Ancient Civilization

Matt Bacon

Egyptians and Indus Valley Civilizations

• Egyptian Civilization (3100BC-330BC)

• Indus River Valley Civilization

(3300BC-1300BC)

The Beginning of the Egyptian Empire

• Movement of Sumerians to the Nile

• Created small tribes turned into Chiefdoms

The Beginning of the Egyptian Empire

• These small tribes grew and expanded • Mainly with the advent of technology and coinage

• With the help of the Nile, the tribes established contact with one another • This soon led to a politically unified, and 1st kingdom of Egypt.

Agriculture and the Nile

• Egypt called “Kemet” • “Black land”

• The people of the Nile relied on Seasonal Floods • The silt and minerals deposited left very rich farm land

Agriculture and the Nile

• Provided much more than just substance to feed a growing population

• Allowed for the cultivation of the papyrus plant • Helped give a writing source to the people

Political Importance of the Nile

• The Nile River, as mentioned earlier, allowed for people to be unified easier • The river plain provided the only outlet from barren desert

• Therefore less area to rule

• Not to mention the Nile allowed for the transport of goods and services • Allowed for grandiose monuments and massive labor force

Political Importance of the Nile

• Pharaohs of Egypt were judged based upon the Nile • Nile flooding=good, Nile drought=Bad

• Historians can attribute low-river discharge, with unrest

The Nile and the Gods

• In the eyes of the Egyptians, the Nile was a direct result of their gods • It’s fertility, in the eyes of the people, was a result of Osiris

• The Nile mirrored the beliefs of the God

The Nile and the Gods

• A ruler must appease the gods • Ensure the Nile floods

• Build and creation of temples

• Rulers who did, ruled long and prospered

Egypt One of Many?

• The Indus River Valley Civilization (3300-1300BC)

• Way ahead of its time

• Why?

• The Indus River

The Indus and Agriculture

• Irrigation allowed for expansion of cities • Desert areas now available to farm

• Created “Suburban” agricultural zones

Purity and Divinity of the Indus River

• Like the Egyptians, Indus people believed their river was divine • It was the life blood of their cities

• The river also symbolized purity • Used in rituals to the Gods

• Even punishable if tainted

Technological uses of the Indus

• Built levees • Protected against average seasonal floods

• Constructed Aqueducts • Facilitated water movement

Technological uses of the Indus

• These aqueducts allowed for running water/sewage in cities • Earliest civilization

• 500 years before the Greeks in Crete

Erase from the History Books

• The Indus River went through extensive flooding

•Went over the levees

• Drowned agricultural lands

Drought and Shift of River

• After extensive flooding, large sand and sediment deposits left

• These sediment deposits began to build shifting the river

The End of Indus Civilization

• This shift in the river led to devastating droughts • Droughts worsened the famines, and ruined infrastructure

• Eventually, this left the Empire on its knees

Why are these case studies important?

• Show us the significance that rivers have on peoples lives • Stretches far beyond the just the water itself

• Allows for the development of empires

How can they help us?

• Rivers have always changed • Can learn from past river Avulsion

• Can allow us to compare river civilizations to other land based civilization • Shows rapidity of development and success