Position:Home>History> What are "river-valley civilizations"?
Question: What are "river-valley civilizations"!?
NO, i don't want your answers from Wikipedia or Google on Indus River-Valley Civilization, or the Tigres-Euphrates River-Valley Civilization, or the Egyptian River-Valley Civilization!. I want an exact definition of a "river valley civilization", because yes, i know, it's a civilization that has a river and a valley and people live in it!.That's great that you know that, but specifics would be nice!.
I'm not trying to be mean, I'm just frustrated that our history teacher told us to find the detailed definition that neither our book, its' glossary, the online book or its' glossary, Wikipedia, or any search engine that i used seems to haveWww@QuestionHome@Com
Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:
It has been suggested, and agreed upon by many scientists in the field of evolution, that civilization started when our evolutionary ancestors grasped the idea that they need not roam to find food; that they could harvest seeds and plant them!. Taken to the next level, our ancestors had to figure out the parameters necessary to successfully plant the seeds!. A place with water, temperate climate, and fertile soil would insure that the seeds would germinate and produce an edible crop!. Rivers that overflow occasionally make the soil very rich!. The water (in the form of a river) was also necessary for travel; so that the hunters/fishermen could find the necessary, essential protein to promote growth and development!. Water also meant that trade could be started between distant colonies; trading an abundance of rice for an abundance of wheat or nuts or other goods insured the survival of those inhabiting the "river valleys"!. The mountains on each side of a river valley also contributed to the clement (good) weather!. Need anything else!?Www@QuestionHome@Com
A civilization based, and born in a valley of a river!?Www@QuestionHome@Com
Location is part of the answer (and you already knew that) and why they chose river valleys is another!. Let me delve a little deeper!.
A river is a body of water, and can be manipulated for irrigation!. Rivers carry many types of minerals and have sediment that is nutrient rich for agriculture!. Flood plains are known to have some of the best soil for crops!. Civilizations chose such valleys because it had an abundant supply of water for every reason!. Why would you want to build a city far from a river!? Build the city ON the river and you have almost all your angles covered!
I live in Grand Rapids and the Grand river runs right through downtown!. Detroit has the Detroit river, St!. Louis the Mississippi, and so forth and so on!. And the Nile (I know you didn't want this mentioned) had numerous canals dug into it so that some of it's water could be directed to a field or small village!. Plus water has almost always been an easy mode of transportation!. This made trading goods much easier!.
I don't know if your teacher wanted something from an encyclopedia for this answer, but this was I understood from all my years studying history!. Kind of a common sense answer if you ask me!. If your teacher isn't satisfied, then they are not teaching history correctly!. I believe history should be left open for interpretation, and they weren't there when all the river-valley civilizations began!.
So to sum things up, River-valley civilizations are civilizations that chose to reside close to rivers due to the numerous benefits that the river had to offer!.
GOOD LUCK!Www@QuestionHome@Com