Early River Valley Civilizations

1. Early River Valley Civilizations Aim: Why did early civilizations develop in river valleys?

2. After the Neolithic Age, 4 main societies formed in the valleys near major rivers:

4. Vocabulary • River: a moving body of water that usually flows into a bigger body of water such as an ocean or sea • River valley: an area of land with a low elevation and a river that runs through it • Irrigate: to supply water artificially (by making ditches, pipes, streams, etc.) • Fertile: soil that can produce lots of crops

5. Advantages of river valleys Civilizations built their societies near rivers because rivers: • provided a good water source • irrigated crops and farmland • increased trade • made it easier to travel • formed a natural barrier to invaders

7. Disadvantages of river valleys • They are very hot, dry climates (desert) • Dry summers make it difficult to grow crops • The rivers can overflow and flood the land unpredictably – destroying the crops/village • In a wide open desert, there are no natural barriers to invaders • Deserts have limited natural resources

8. Solutions to these disadvantages Problem Solution River valley civilizations created irrigation systems that connected water from the rivers and brought it to the fields where the crops grew They built city walls around their settlements for protection They traded with other settlements to get the resources they needed • They are very hot, dry climates (desert) • Dry summers make it difficult to grow crops • The rivers can overflow and flood the land unpredictably – destroying the crops/village • In a wide open desert, there are no natural barriers to invaders • Deserts have limited natural resources

9. End Please take your quiz and fill out your Review Sheet on Early River Valley Civilizations! 