DGP: Chapter 1: Water

DGP: CH1: The Need for Water in Ancient Societies 

• civilization comes from the word "civis" meaning "resident of a city, or citizen,"
• what defines a civilization is the presence of cities = defined as a place where more than five thousand people live
• the implication of a city is that the presence of culture, technological advances & government

How did the need for a steady supply of water affect the technological, economical, political and legal development of ancient societies? 


The need for water often becomes a need for technological advances, depending on various factors such as natural resources. Without a steady supply of water, a civilization is simply unable to survive. Depending on available resources and the amount of labour required to distribute water, government is able to come up with the necessary methods


Thus, it is no surprise that the earliest ancient civilizations were erected around naturally existing water resources. Mesopotamia developed around the Tigris and Euphrates river, Egypt around the Nile, China around the Yellow River and Rome around the Tiber. Because each city depended heavily on their main source of water, the main priority was maintaining and exploiting the rivers to their maximum benefit. Labor and technology necessities surrounding the rivers depended heavily on a factor as unpredictable as nature itself. To Egypt's benefit, the Nile had a fairly predictable flooding cycle, and Egyptians had a much easier time with irrigation because of it. Their calendar was based on the rising and falling cycles of the river. Using basic basin irrigation, crops could be watered with ease. They also had waterways and water lifting machine for long term irrigation. Using technology and recorded observation the Egyptians were able to reap the full benefits of the nile One of the pictures (source 10) depicts the Pharaoh constructing an irrigation system, this is obviously a direct correlation to the Egyptians' belief that the king is of equal status to that of the God. The stability of the Nile contributed greatly to the Pharaoh's credibility and status.


Not all civilizations had such good luck with irrigation as the Egyptians. The Tigres and Euphrates rivers were a bit more unpredictable, and the fast flowing water carried heavy amounts of soil in it.  This was good for creating rich soil, however, it also meant irrigation ditches had to be cleaned out on a regular basis. Different parts of Mesopotamia used different forms of irrigation. Basin and perennial irrigation was used as well as water channels. Since Mesopotamia saw much more rainfall than Egypt they were less dependent of their rivers, however, the Tigris and Euphrates were key factors in the civilizations success and survival.




The violent and unpredictable nature of China's Yellow River was a much more difficult  power to harness. Dramatic changes in the river were often the cause of conflict in Chinese civilization. Enemies would often use the waterway as a weapon -- flooding the land of rivals by destroying dikes. Like the violence of the river, China too saw much violent based around their water supply.


Rome had the most extensive irrigation system of all, building aqueducts to bring water from freshwater lakes and springs into cities. There were over 300 miles of aqueducts and the building of a system so expansive surely elevated the employment rate in Rome. Engineers had to carefully map out the systems and laborers had to make these plans a reality.


People throughout history have always been attracted to power and some will go incredible lengths just to obtain it. It is no surprise that waterways have been used as one method of obtaining power throughout history. Source 9 is a clear example of this, and tried to deceive King Chhin to use time, money and resources on the making of a canal, this way they would not feel the need to start expanding and possibly attack Han.


In general however, the developing of irrigation systems seemed to be above all a benefit to the growth of early civilizations. The care and maintaining of them required technological advances and kept jobs flowing, Waterways were a source of transportation to other lands, making trade easier and helping to boost the economy. The water as a natural entity often inspired folklore and religion -- an important binding part of each civilization. Water dispersion was monitored by laws, keeping the government intact. Above all, the need for water in early societies created the need for so much more, and these needs paved way for further progression