Like much of the rest civilization at this time, early Chinese societies developed along a waterway. In China the first civilization developed along the Huang He river, also known as the Yellow River. The Yellow River is characterized by it's unpredictable and devastating flooding, so the question becomes why did these ancient civilizations start to develop along this particular waterway. Were there benefits to settling here? How did development along this river occur and how did it influence the culture of the developing societies.
It is important to look at the geography of the Yellow River as well as the characteristics. The Yellow River is given its name due to the vast quantities of soil that are suspended in the water which turn the
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The introduction of agriculture enabled individuals to accumulate wealth and pass it down through their families, this is a phenomena which could not happened before due to groups of people not being able to settle in one place. A large part of agriculture in China was the rice crops. Rice is a labor-intensive crop that requires many workers and a complex irrigation system. Large crops of rice depended on the construction and maintenance of an elaborate irrigation system. These irrigation systems would not be possible without the Yellow River. Without the Yellow River there would be no body of water that needed to be controlled nor would there be flooding in that area that gives this region well fertilized soil, therefore the Xia Dynasty would not have been created and China's civilizations would not have developed in the manner that they did. The River also created a pathway for trade which shaped its …show more content…
Due to trade from India, the religion of Buddhism took root. Indo-European migrations provided connections among Eurasian cultures. Through trade with Indo-European groups China learned of vehicles and weapons as mentioned earlier. The connections made with Central Asia also helped the development of China through Asia's technological advancements. China gained iron and military power from Asia. They were able to produce shields and daggers which they could arm their soldiers with. Iron was more abundant than the copper which bronze is made of. Iron plows created from the influence of Central Asia helped to enhance China's agricultural production. Interactions with the nomads as China expanded lead to a transformation of Chinese warfare. It is from the nomads that they adopted horseback riding which was faster and more practical than large difficult to control
Similarly to many ancient societies, the Chinese dynasties and societies flourished along the fertile land around rivers. The societies were based on agriculture, and engaged in trade networks along the Silk Road. The societies were ruled by semi-divine monarchies, with a class system. Unlike many of the other ancient societies, China’s rulers were chosen by The Mandate of Heaven, thus creating the dynastic cycle. China began to spread it’s ideals and products along the Silk Road, therefore influencing societies such as Persia, Greece and Rome.
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...
Agriculture was a big part of both cultures. It's how they were successful. If a place did not have enough food for the population then it could not sustain a military or any growth at all. The Qin and Zhou dynasties both lived off of the Yellow River and its fertile grounds made agriculture flourish. The geography on both dynasties was relatively the same. They both originated in Northeast China
As in terms of economics, China grew prosperous through trade, military expansion, invention of tools and other means of convenience and through the market economy. From the Han Dynasty China began to build again. The Sui Dynasty constructed the Grand Canal. The Grand Canal was an artificial canal that extended 1,240 miles. It enabled merchants and farmers to travel by water, selling an abundance of rice and other crops. This canal was extremely expensive but throughout the years paid itself off by providing travel routes north and south of China. The Sui Dynasty also built palaces, granarie...
China emergence as a civilization is accomplished with little no contact with other empires due to its geographical isolation. This is evident by the lack of new people and languages. The term China during this period does not refer to the same geographical entity as commonly believed. China during this period is approximately one thousand miles north to South and East to West, occupying much of the temperate zone of East Asia. The land to the North is well suited for crops like Grain due to Loess: a fine wind-driven soil that is fertile and easy to toil with primitive tools. The region to the South is warmer, wetter and more suited to rice cultivation and double cropping. China is isolated from other civilizations by mountains, deserts and grasslands. The Bronze Age is marked by the Shang dynasty in their capitol of Anyang. Shang kings ruled for over two centuries. The royal tomb at Anyang was sixty feet deep and three hundred feet long. A tomb this size would have taken thousands of laborers and the advanced technology was evident as t...
Both India and China have provided food for their nations due to their geography. According to Classical Civilization: India, both civilizations were agricultural societies with a majority of each population being peasant farmers. These farming families clustered in villages for help and protection. The village structure created a localist flavor and a family life due to agriculture. The increase in agriculture helped India and China create big cities because of their fertile land and good crop production. This helped each civilization evolve.
Although Siddhartha Gotama spread the religion of Buddhism in India, his teaching had a great impact on other countries. Buddhist first made their way to China via the silk route; this was a network of caravan tracts that linked China to the rest of central Asia to the Mediterranean region. Buddhist monks also made their way into China with Buddhist scriptures and Buddhist art in their possession. This is the first time that Buddhism made a substantial impact on the Chinese. Quickly many Chinese began to convert to the new religion that was brought into china. In fact, Buddhism would become a central aspect to culture of the Chinese. Buddhism had a great impact on the Chinese, philosophers, and Chinese emperors. Additionally, Buddhism had a great influence on Chinese art, and Buddhism was the greatest foreign influence on the artwork of the Chinese. Chinese artist would mix their traditions, with other popular Buddhist art forms from places, such as India. The arrival of Buddhism in China greatly influenced the art of China for many dynasties.
Literature spread at a quick pace, which was a very good thing. Porcelain was a part of the Tang Dynasty’s pottery. All of these advancements/inventions helped lead China to where it is today.
Flooding was a problem in both Greece and China. When the land flooded, their crops were destroyed. In even bigger floods, the water destroyed hundreds of homes. In ancient Greece they had 3 major floods: ogeyus, Deucalion, and Dardanus. In Ancient China, they only had 1: the great flood. Soon after these floods, the rulers appointed people to figure out how to use these floods to their advantage. The two civilizations learned to plant their crops directly after the flood. Ancient China learned to put their crops higher
The Shang Dynasty was located in what is now known as modern day Northern China and was situated along the Yellow River Valley. Settling along the Yellow River, or Huang He River, allowed the access to arable land as the river deposited silt that enriched the soil. This irrigation produced the North China Plain: an alluvial plain where crops can thrive. In this way, settlement on the Yellow River Valley and its resulting fertile land enabled the cultivation of crops and the creation of an agricultural society. Another factor that heavily influenced the Shang Dynasty and this civilization’s agriculture was the climate of the location. Rainfall was irregular and varied considerably. Because of North
One reason dynasty Tang was so influential on the Chinese empire was due to their good relations with neighboring nations. Countries such as Eastern roman empire persian and arabian empire were willing to build good relations with china. All of these factors led to the trading prosperity along the silk road and to frequent culture exchange between the west and the east. First the Tang Dynasty
Approximately 5500 years ago four of the worlds' most prestigious ancient river civilizations had emerged. Our world has been left in astonishment and awe wondering how these civilizations were developed. Egypt and Mesopotamia were the first ancient river civilizations to create cities and their own ways of living. Society, geography, and religion played an enormous role in the development of the ancient cities. Although there is evidence of early Sumerian contact with the Egyptians, Egypt's civilization was largely self-generated and its history and cultural patterns differed from Mesopotamia.
Today we can look around ourselves and see thousands of technical innovations that make life easier; But if we take a step back and ask ourselves “How?” we will soon realize that most often, these technological advancements did not just “poof” into existence, but are usually the outcome of building upon yesterday’s technology. If we follow this cycle back into time, we can attribute almost any modern day invention to an ancient civilization during its golden age. China was no exception. China’s Song and Tang dynasties fostered scientific advances comparable to Rome’s during its Pax Romana. The most significant and impacting of these were the development of primitive gunpowder and porcelain of the Tang and paper money, and the magnetic compass of the Song Dynasties. Although these may seem very far off, if you look hard enough, you can see traces of their impacts in society today because most of the advancements today we owe to them.
China brought the world closer together through trade networks. The Silk Road linked China to the West and opened up the possibility of new ideas and trade. The Silk Road stretched for 4,000 miles. It linked China to the Fertile Crescent and the Middle East. Through trade China was able to get glass from Rome, and cotton and Buddhism from India.
powerful regimes were formed in Europe and China, since there was flat land bounded by rivers