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mesopotamia and indus valley civilization
mesopotamia and indus valley civilization
the indus valley civilization essay
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This paper explores life at Mehrgarh and its importance as one of the major cities of the Indus valley civilization. Mehrgarh represents long chronological sequence from the 7th millennium to the 3rd millennium B.C. which has been divided into seven main periods from the Pre-Ceramic Neolithic to the Bronze Age. The third period belongs to the farming society (agriculture and animal husbandry).
For decades archaeologists believed that plants and animals were first domesticated in the near east (Israel, Lebanon, Syria, south west Turkey, Iraq, western Iran) early in Holocene (8000 to 10000 years ago). It is now possible to mount a challenge to this archaeological dogma about the domestication of plants and animals as evidence of that has been found in Afghanistan and Mehrgarh on the Kachi plains of Pakistan. The roots of sedentism and village farming community have been documented in the 7th millennium BC, at the site of Mehrgarh on the Kachi plains of the central Indus valley. Farming was successful here because it is thought that Pleistocene Indus River flowed in this area...
To identify the specific type, functions and time period of the artifacts, various archaeology books, reports, and journal were referred. The interpretation was then conducted by dividing the artifacts into different area on the map and investigating their relationships.
The book tells the history of human civilization through the development of our food production and culture. A highly relevant book to present although food is a special type of natural resource or products hereof and history is a wider subject than conflict. The gradual transition towards hierarchical social order is described. Especially the significance of irrigation is compelling.
McNeill stated: “Perhaps Diamond makes too much of Eurasia 's east-west axis. After all, India and Southeast Asia occupy different latitudes from Europe, the Middle East and north China: and the deserts and highlands of central Asia pose obstacles to diffusions of crops comparable to any in Africa or America” (McNeill 3). But the spread of crops and grow local availability food on their own farm are usually a common act. Like seeds blown by the wind or spread through water canals to other areas, and animals who carries the fertilizers can easily bring the crop and growth of the crop to nearby areas. Along the East-West, the axis of Eurasia, cattle were such an important domestication in Europe, yet it wasn’t so important in China. This is because of the environment and the state of the weather was not suitable for raising the cattle. And because of cattle naturally can cope with the hot and cold weather they are more suitable to be raised in some area better than others, regardless of geography. Because of these reasons, I concluded that Diamond argues too much on the geography side of the history, rather than the actual history of the Neolithic
Farming also became a steady source of food for the early civilization. With established dwellings, communities were able to create crude irrigation systems to support their crops in the very dry dessert like climate. Domestication of animals also became a possibility as well with the more permanent living situation the early civilization h...
The presence of humans dates back to 8000 B.C. but not much is known about the inhabitance of these Paleo-Indian people and their uses of the land (NPS).
The Nile and Indus River Valley civilizations were both unique civilizations in their own way in comparison. Yet despite being separated by thousands of miles there are similarities in these two ancient civilizations. It is seen that amongst ancient civilizations, rivers are fundamental for them to prosper and provide for a relatively stable society for which a people can grow and develop. There are general similarities with pinpoint differences as well as general differences with pinpoint similarities. Both civilizations have left their influence on human civilization and history, with their unique characteristics of their religion, way of life, social classes, cultures, technological advancements, government systems, rulers and notable
12,000 years ago, the discovery of agriculture triggered such a change in society and the way in which people lived that we now call this important era in time the “Neolithic Revolution.” Traditional hunter-gatherer lifestyles were cast away in favor of more permanent settlements and a reliable food supply. Agriculture helped form cities and civilizations, and because crops and animals could now be farmed to meet growing demand, populations skyrocketed from around five million people 10,000 years ago, to more the more than seven billion people that walk this earth today.1
Authors, Various. The Origins Of Civilizations, "The Agrarian Revolution And The Birth Of Civilization." Last modified 2007. Accessed March 23, 2012. http://history-world.org/neolithic.htm.
The blessing and curse of the Agricultural Revolution is advocated with its augmentation and dissemination. Taking the stipulative definition of “blessing” and “curse” from the original premise, one can only superimpose the layman’s terms of “negative” and “positive”. Upon examination of the two classifications within the Neolithic Period and ancient Mesopotamian civilization one can confirm the premise. Therefore, the agriculture revolution was a blessing and a curse for humanity. Human society began to emerge in the Neolithic Period or the New Stone Age. This new age began around 9,000 B.C.E. by the development of agriculture in the region surrounding the Tigris and Euphrates rivers and what is commonly referred to as “The Fertile Crescent” located in West Asia.1 The very development of agriculture had benefited humans by no longer having to move about in search of wild game and plants. Unencumbered by nomadic life humans found little need to limit family size and possessions and settled in a single location for many years. One negative aspect of this settling is that the population increased so much so that wild food sources were no longer sufficient to support large groups. Forced to survive by any means necessary they discovered using seeds of the most productive plants and clearing weeds enhanced their yield.2 This also lead humans to develop a wider array of tools far superior to the tools previously used in the Paleolithic Period or Old Stone Age. The spread of the Agricultural Revolution in the Neolithic Period also cultivated positive aspects by creating connections with other cultures and societies. Through these connections they exchanged knowledge, goods, and ideas on herding and farming.3 Another major positive aspec...
Evidence shows that Chinese civilization originated in the Yellow River basin (805). Indian civilization began in and around the Indus River valley. It is not remarkable that each of these great civilizations sprang from the land around a river system. Life is drawn to water, and seasonal floods often regenerate the soil around the watershed. The mo...
The Indus Valley is located in northern India and is an important site concerning the early beginnings of agriculture in the old world. The geography, environment, and timeframe of the Indus Valley are distinct to the area and different from other sites of agricultural origin. Many plants and animals were domesticated in the Indus Valley, and due to the areas susceptibility to flooding, technological innovations had to take place. The Indus Valley is important to understanding the beginnings of agriculture and early civilization.
All technologies are shaped by their particular cultural context. Different physical environments and geographies create different needs that require solutions. A number of examples can be found in the Levant of the Middle East, where the first Mesopotamian civilizations developed. About 10,000 years ago, sedentary populations in this area started domesticating the native cereal p...
The civilization took place at the modern Pakistan and India places. The Indus valley area was quite fertile and agriculture was the main source of livelihood. There were sufficient rains that provided water for the crops. There was sufficient food among the people and thus there was a rapid population increase among the people in the Indus valley. Due to the increased population, it was necessary to establish a government system which was complex due to the large area to govern (Violatti, NP). The people of the Indus valley were held legible to the laws of the land. Also, the Indus people had a writing system that marked a major milestone in civilization. The writing was used as a form of communication (Koslowski 376). Pottery and making of artifacts was also a major activity that was witnessed during the Indus Valley
Agriculture is quite possibly the most important advancement and discovery that humanity has made. It produces the one thing that we need the most: food. It has been around since 9500 BC, and can be the oldest sign of mankind’s acumen and the development and evolving of our minds and creations. Agriculture has been mastered throughout hundreds of years and is one of our most important resources on Earth, along with water and fossil fuels. Although the older farming methods from ancient times seem somewhat mediocre and barbaric, they were very ingenious and advanced for that time period. Over thousands of years, we have improved the way agriculture is used, how land is cultivated, the various techniques of farming and irrigation, and the tools and mechanics used. Numerous things that we see as aboriginal today, such as using a hand plow, were extremely contemporary in ancient times, and played key roles in the development of man and society, since quick labor was not abundant before this time. We are now extremely advanced in agriculture and irrigation and the tools used to farm and grow and harvest crops. We have learned from our past and ancestors how to grow and evolve in our methods and have advanced forward greatly.
Archaeologists commonly offer differing hypotheses for the origins of food production. Various theoretical approaches have attempted to identify the circumstances that caused people to shift to deliberate cultivation and do...