History vividly demonstrates that civilization came into existence once there was the production of surplus product in that area. Interestingly, such possibility for production was possible in the valleys of large rivers in the subtropical zone, as well as the adjacent southern part of the temperate climate zone. According to Smith et al. (2012), the abundance of water for irrigation, light alluvial soil along with sufficient amount of solar heat ensured a sharp rise in labor productivity. Therefore, at the dawn of civilization, a geographical factor was of the utmost importance.
Physical geography determined the nature of the economy, and in some cases even the form of government. For instance, the specific geographical conditions of Egypt, namely a narrow strip of habitable land for cultivation led to the creation of a single state ruled by the deified king. Gallup and Sachs (1999) claim that in early civilizations, agricultural productivity was considered as the great geographical advantage.
It could be argued that ancient people were dependent on the natural environment, thus favorable climatic and geographical conditions contributed to the social development (Smith et al., 2012). It is worth noting that the ancient civilizations often emerged in extremely fertile river valleys, for example the Nile, Euphrates, Tigris, Indus, Yellow and Yangtze rivers (Gallup & Sachs, 1999, p. 13). However, the role of the geographical factor should not be exaggerated, as the need for irrigation was not always an incentive to the creation of large civilizations. Nevertheless, due to the characteristics of the terrain and climate, the coastal civilizations Greece and Rome benefited from the emergence of navigation. Thus, the nature of ancient civilizations was determined by various factors, though the most crucial were geographical location, cultural contacts as well as economic development.
References
Gallup, J. L., & Sachs, J. D. (1999). Geography and economic development. CAER II Discussion Paper No. 39.
Smith, B. G., Van De Mieroop, M., von Glahn, R., & Lane, K. (2012). Crossroads and cultures, volume I: To 1450: A history of the world's peoples. Bedford/St. Martin's.
