Water and civilizations
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Great civilizations of humanity have settled next to rivers, lakes, or lagoons, the reason?: water is an essential element to survive, develop and progress; for example, Herodotus, the father of history, is credited with the phrase that Egypt is the gift of the Nile; the cradle of civilization, Mesopotamia, lies between two rivers; ancient China goes hand in hand with its Yellow River; the Ganges, the Sacred River and its relationship with Indian culture; the great Tenochtitlan was founded within a system of five lakes…
Some examples we have in this tentative timeline (remember that archaeologists and specialists continually make discoveries that can modify the dates and the very history of civilizations):
Year |
Reservoirs of water |
City/civilization |
10,000 years ago |
Nile River |
First settlements of what will later become Egypt |
5,000 years ago |
Tigris and Euphrates Rivers |
The "Land Between Rivers," Mesopotamia-Sumer-Akkadia-Babylon; ziggurats; cities of Ur, Eridú, Kish, Erech, Agadé |
4 000 BCE |
Indus River |
First settlements in India |
3 100 BCE |
Nile River |
The first dynasty of pharaohs, the Great Sphinx of Gizeh |
2 700 to 2 200 BCE |
Nile River |
Old Kingdom of Egypt; the great pyramids of Menkaura, Khafra, and Khufu |
2 500 BCE to 200 CE |
Coatzacoalcos, Tonalá, Papaloapan and San Juan Rivers |
Olmec culture, the "mother culture" of Mesoamerica; San Lorenzo Tenochtitlán, Tres Zapotes, La Venta, |
2 500 to 1 500 BCE |
Indus, Ihelum, Chenab, Ravi, Sutlej, Ganges, Jumma, Narbada, Tapti Rivers |
"Indus River Civilization," Harappa and Mohenjo Daro cities |
2 000 to 1 800 BCE |
Nile River |
Egypt's Middle Kingdom, economic and political power |
1 600 to 1 100 BCE |
Nile River |
Egypt's New Kingdom, Empire, and Decline |
1 500 to 1 000 BCE |
Yellow Rivers, Wei, Lo, Yangtze |
Anyang, capital of Shang; Loyang, eastern dynastic capital; Ch'and-an, Western dynastic capital; the great wall |
1 200 to 400 BCE |
Lakes of the Teotihuacan Valley |
Cuiculco, Tlatilco, Ticóman Zacatenco, Tezoyuca |
747 BCE |
Nile River |
Cus Kingdom of Napata (Kush, Kuš, or Cush) Africa |
760 to 146 BCE |
Eurotas River |
Sparta (Greece) |
753 BCE |
Tiber and Po Rivers |
Rome |
600 BCE to 800 CE |
Springs and cenotes |
Mayas, Tikal, Chichen Itza (Mesoamerica) |
508 to 146 BCE |
Cefiso, Ilisos and Erídanos Rivers |
Athens, Greece |
400 BCE to 900 CE |
Lakes of the Teotihuacan Valley |
Teotihuacans, Teotihuacan |
1180-1897 |
Niger River |
Kingdom of Benin or Edo, Africa |
1325-1521 |
Lakes of Xaltocan, Zumpango, and Texcoco (salty), and Xochimilco and Chalco (freshwater) |
Mexicas, Mexico-Tenochtitlan (Mesoamerica) |
BCE: before the Common Era.
CE: Common Era or our era.
Sources:
You can consult the following sources to learn more about the subject:
Bowra, C. M. et al. (2001). La Grecia clásica. Calvert, F. (trad.). Las grandes épocas de la humanidad. Historia de las culturas mundiales. México, DF, México : Ediciones Culturales Internacionales, S.A. de C.V.
Cartwright, M. (2019, April 02). Reino de Benín (Kingdom of Benin). Cardozo, A. (trad.). World History Encyclopedia. Recuperado de https://www.worldhistory.org
Casson, L. et al. (2001). Egipto antiguo. Castaño, A. (trad). Las grandes épocas de la humanidad. Historia de las culturas mundiales. México, DF, México : Ediciones Culturales Internacionales, S.A. de C.V.
CNN en español. (18 de julio de 2012). Los mayas resolvieron el problema de la escasez de agua hace más de mil años. Recuperado de https://cnnespanol.cnn.com
Davidson, B. et al. (2001). Reinos africanos. Iglesias, M. I (trad.). Las grandes épocas de la humanidad. Historia de las culturas mundiales. México, DF, México : Ediciones Culturales Internacionales, S.A. de C.V.
Hadas, M. et al. (2000). La Roma imperial. Bosh, E. S. (trad.). Las grandes épocas de la humanidad. Historia de las culturas mundiales. México, DF, México : Ediciones Culturales Internacionales, S.A. de C.V.
Hassig, R. (s.f.). Tenochtitlan en el gran lago. Arqueología Mexicana. Recuperado de https://arqueologiamexicana.mx
INAH, Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia. (2007). Zona Arqueológica de Teotihuacán. Origen. Recuperado de https://www.teotihuacan.inah.gob.mx
Infobae. (17 de agosto de 2022). México-Tenochtitlan: cuáles eran los cinco lagos que rodeaban la capital del imperio mexica. Recuperado de https://www.infobae.com
Kramer, S. M. et al. (2000). La cuna de la civilización. Saavedra, C. (trad.). Las grandes épocas de la humanidad. Historia de las culturas mundiales. México, DF, México : Ediciones Culturales Internacionales, S.A. de C.V.
Ochoa, A. (22 de diciembre de 2020). Cultura olmeca, la cultura madre que sentó las bases de Mesoamérica. Recuperado de https://www.admagazine.com
Schafer, E. H. et al. (1999). La China antigua. Saavedra, C. (trad.). Las grandes épocas de la humanidad. Historia de las culturas mundiales. México, DF, México : Ediciones Culturales Internacionales, S.A. de C.V.
Schulberg, L. et al. (2001). India histórica. Bárcena, A. (trad.). Las grandes épocas de la humanidad. Historia de las culturas mundiales. México, DF, México : Ediciones Culturales Internacionales, S.A. de C.V.