Water is one of the most important elements needed to sustain life. Some ancient civilizations struggled to maintain a steady supply of usable water, while others gained consistent access, and those that did, thrived. Nonetheless, these civilizations, whether they failed or succeeded, depended on water to drink and irritate their crops; without it, they suffered food shortages and famine. Ancient civilizations such as China, Egypt, Mesopotamia and Rome were among those whose advancement benefited from the successful cultivation of water. Even though man started out as hunters and gatherers, once knowledge about growing their own food and the domestication of plants occurred, civilizations are believed to have formed, and thus became dependent on agriculture and water. Water was the driving force of growth in ancient civilizations. A reliable source of water impacted the development of economies, drove religious views, shaped political and legal discussions and influenced the advancement of technologies in diverse civilizations that shared a common bond, the need for water to sustain life.
But one can’t look at “water” in a monolithic sense, because not all water is usable for drinking or irrigation. Usable water can be defined, in this instance, as a source that is reliable, consistent, and clean enough to drink or use for irrigation. This includes rivers, lakes, wells, but it does not include oceans or contaminated water. In some circumstances, the water that is at first promising can then become contaminated; water standing in irrigation ditches can become a fertile breeding ground for mosquitoes and other carriers of disease. In addition, the over-use or diversion of water can impact its quality, creating water heavy ...
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...dant amount of flash floods. This lies in contrast to Egypt, which received even less rainfall than Mesopotamia, and was thus totally dependent on the Nile for watering crops. The Nile River flooded regularly, allowing for easy basin irrigation. Lastly, Rome, in contrary to Egypt, grew up on the banks of a river, the Tiber, but substantial amounts of natural rainfall in the area made extensive irrigation for agriculture purposes unnecessary. Rome’s primary water issue was the lack of good drinking water; the Tiber was often brackish and unpleasant, so the Romans had to build aqueducts. All of these civilizations had a separate and distinct relationship with water, and thus each had their own way of dealing with its conditions.
Rooted in the conditions of water sources, reliable water not only impacted the formation of economies, but also helped them flourish.
The need for a steady supply of water affected the technological developments of ancient societies in a number of ways. The first is that it affected the placement and structure of ancient cities and structures as shown in Source 8 (44), 9 (45), and 11 (46). Source 8, Sima Qian’s Description of the Building of the Zhengguo Canal, ca. 100 B.C.E., discusses the rivalry between the Han and the Chinn, which were both located along the Ching River for easy access to water. Source 9, Suetonius’s Description of the Water Projects Undertaken by Emperor Claudius (r. 41-54 C.E.), talks of how Claudius filled his city with water by using an aqueduct and making a drainage canal, completely modifying the city and the usage of water in it. Source 11, Frontinus’s Discussion of Rome’s Water System, tells of making extraordinarily high arches to get water to the upper parts of Rome so that the rich districts could simplify the process of getting water. Next is that it caused larger and more complex structures to be built which we can see by comparing different sources, for example Source 3 (43) and Source 6 (43) the technological advancement is easily seen, the Shaduf only allowed on...
One of the biggest needs for a civilisation is food, transportation, and crops/plants. Done, done and done with all their rivers. Stated in Document 2, “They provided many resources which included food, transportation, as well as plants.” That all came from the rivers they had, like the Nile River.. Also, stated in document 1, “the Nile provided a fertile area in the middle of a desert.” so they needed it for crops.
The historical land of Mesopotamia significantly contributed to early civilization in relation to its close proximity to the Tigris and Euphrates rivers and rich fertile land it provided. The rivers offered the people of Mesopotamia fertile soil, irrigation water for crops and fishing, and also supplied an abundance of wild barley and wheat for food or could stored as a food supply.
The article, Hidden Waters by Joanne Zygmunt describes how water is used in almost everything in the world. The article begins by stating agriculture soaks up the majority of all water and is depleting the limited supply. Roughly “70 percent of global freshwater withdrawals are for irrigation” (Zygmunt 8). Zygmunt, sates there are many unknown uses of water. For example, A hamburger contains “2400 litres of embedded water” (10). It is also stated the are different types of embedded water, “blue” and “green”. “Blue” is the water used in daily life. “Green” is water that is found underground (Zygmunt 11). Unlike other natural resources, there is no substitute for water. The effects of water shortage depend on water utilization, environment
Water is one of the most critical elements in determining any form of life. All living beings depend on water and without it, all forms of life come to a dead stop. Since the beginning of human civilization, water has been a driving force in how people dictate the affairs in their lives. People move near it, when there is too little of it, people flee from it, when there is too much of it, and people fight over it, when there is nothing of it. Our lives depend on water. Indeed, Vitruvius states in his De Architectura, “Water is indispensable for life, for pleasure, and for daily use.” In the Roman Empire, Roman citizens prided themselves as having the capacity to virtual supply of unlimited water. The Romans achieved this supply by constructing the aqueduct. As a symbol
Water was essential to all people of ancient civilizations. It was something they would depend on year in and year out. This was a big development because people learned how to use their surroundings (water) to their advantage. The reason that farming grew is because of the fertile soil. Rivers were the biggest part in how early people lived. Further into the paper I will explain the agriculture, water source, and the transportation within the Nile River, the Huang He (Yellow) River, and the Indus River.
The people of ancient Egypt knew that food and water were a necessity to survival. The article “People Of Ancient Egypt” talks about how the ancient Egyptians solved the issue of the flood not rising some years, And water being scarce in those years.
Water is absolutely essential to all human life. It is more important than even oxygen, to every single, living, creature on Earth. No one on Earth, could survive without it. Historically, the water wheel, was first used to lift water from a river onto irrigation streams. Then during the Middle Ages, a water-powered wheel was created that was capable of harnessing power from the flow of water. It was used for smashing linen to create paper and in the milling of flour. Then throughout the Industrial Revolution, Europe’s economy was boosted by the creation of the steam engine.
Water is of economic importance so that the availability of water associated with the establishment of civilization, cities and the impor...
The importance of water, in relation to the Earth and its inhabitants, can only be rivaled by the importance of oxygen. Living things depend on water in their habitat. However, the abundance of water is not as important as the usefulness of the water. Much of the Earth is made up of this unique liquid combination of hydrogen and oxygen, but the amount that can be used for human consumption is less than one percent (Boland, 2003). In essence, humans use potable water, water that is suitable for drinking and cooking, to satisfy their basic needs. Drinking (potable) water is free from poisonous substances, contaminants, and disease-causing organisms, which would be unsafe for human consumption (Gulflink).
While the earth may be mostly water, only about 2-1/2 percent of it is fresh water. Of that 2.5%, even less is considered to be potable. Potable water is water that is considered to be safe to drink and cook with. While many countries are working to build water treatment plants, the fact is that due to changes in the climate the amount of rain and ice melts from winter have dropped off and lowered the reserve supplies of freshwater to be treated. There are initiatives to educate and regulate the use of water in the world, as well as exploration into the technology of water farming in arid countries
It includes the water found in lakes, reservoirs, and groundwater that is shallow enough to be tapped at an affordable cost. These freshwater sources are the only sources that are frequently replenished by rain and snowfall, and therefore are renewable. At the current rates of consumption, however, this supply of fresh water will not last. Pollution and contamination of freshwater sources exacerbate the problem, further reducing the amount of freshwater available for human consumption. Something must be done if humans want to even survive in the near future: the lack of clean drinking water is already the number one cause of disease in the world today.
Water is essential for life. Without water, we would die within days. Early human civilizations were founded on rivers- without them, society would not have advanced and we would still be primitive hunters and gathers.
The problem of water scarcity has increasingly spread throughout the world as of yet, The UN reports that within the next half- century up to 7 billion people in 60 countries which is more than the whole present population will face water scarcity (Sawin “Water Scarcity could Overwhelm the Next Generation”). As well the demand for freshwater has tripled over the past 50 years, and is continuing to rise as a result of population growth and economic development. 70% of this demand derives from agriculture which shows the influence of water on food supply globally as well not just drinking water (Sawin “Water Scarcity could overwhelm the Next Generation”). But increasing water use is not just a matter of the greater number of people needing it to drink and eat; it also comes from pollution and misuse of water supplies, by either dumping or runoff of bacteria or chemicals into water. This also “causes other pollutions as well such as soil and air pollution, accelerating wetland damage and human caused global warming” (Smith and Thomassey 25). According to UN report, recent estimates suggest that climate change will account for about 20 percent of the increase in global water scarcity in coming decades.
Throughout the path of human and mammal history, there have been a small number of characteristics in life that are needed to maintain and facilitate survival. These necessities consists of water, nutrition, shelter and oxygen, which many historians, anthropologists and humans in general have began to realize. Through this realization, one apprehends the fact that out of the four requirements of life, water by far provides as the most important. Each year, the world population increases exponentially; today being over seven billion. Due to this increase human beings have begun to experience a serious crisis dealing with the loss of water. The world has become limited with its supply of water, due to its high demand. Humans believe water is a resource that is completely renewable and everlasting, but through many years water supply is becoming extremely scarce. Statistically proven there is only " 2.5 [percent] which is freshwater. Almost all of it is locked up in ice and in the ground. Only a bit more than 1.2 [percent] of all freshwater (which was only 2.5 [percent] of all water) is surface water, which serves most of life's needs (The World's Water). Water, on a daily basis, is wasted through many daily activities such as people utilizing water in their houses, at work and tremendously through gardening. People cannot live without water, but many do not understand how much water supply around the world is potable. Many countries around the world do not facilitate clean water, usually consisting of dirt and bacteria, which makes many people ill. The polluted water is usually in the rural and poor countries, that do not have enough money and technology to provide hygienic water. Contaminated water broadens the s...