How Is Geography Important To Ancient Civilizations

Geography is the foundation of how civilizations and societies develop. Based on location, geography determines the amount of water available, temperature, available resources, and a variety of essentials. To form a civilization, the geography gives insight into whether a community can sustain, and how people need to adapt to continue growing. Ancient civilizations had to take many factors into account, and learn to adapt to the environment to become as advanced as they were. General geographical features which have an essential role in shaping societies include rivers, seas, and the flora of what the natural environment provides.
Rivers are a natural water source for civilizations, which water is essential for a civilization to sustain.

The people of South Asia used the Indian Ocean to trade and to reach out to other communities. By learning to gage the difference of the annual monsoon winds, Southwest Asia and Africa were able to interact with one another (Hanson 61). Merchant Seals marked the different trades along the trade routes, usually printed with a figure of an animal, and found all along the different trade routes (Ancient India ppt 14). South Asia used the Indian Ocean to export goods such as “pepper, ivory, and precious stones” (Hanson 62). Trade routes used by the South Asians provided multiple trade routes, communication, and interactions with other civilizations. The Greeks also used the sea to expand into different lands. The Greeks used the Mediterranean Sea to not only expand land, however to become well skilled in creating trade centers (Hanson 118). The Greeks also used the Mediterranean Sea to fertilize their farms by creating irrigation tunnels, much like the Ancient Mesopotamians and the Ancient Egyptians. However, unlike the Ancient Mesopotamians and Ancient Egyptians, the Greeks had to use the Mediterranean Sea, for no rivers flowed through the land (Hanson 118). While both the South Asians and Greek benefited from the sea by using the water to create more trade, The Greeks were also able to use the sea to help fertilize the