Mesopotamia - Research Paper Example

Mesopotamia: Mesopotamia is always referred to as the cradle of human civilization. It is known to be a land surrounded by two rivers, that is, river Euphrates which was on the southern parts of Mesopotamia, and river Tigris which was on the Northern part of Mesopotamia. These two rivers played a great role in the development of farming in Mesopotamia. Sumerians used these rivers to irrigate their lands, ensuring that there was constant supply of food for their citizens. Research denotes that human civilization began in Mesopotamia during the periods of 7000 BC. Societies in Mesopotamia were very religious in nature and they had kings and priests. These leaders used deities to control and lead their people. The economies of these societies were despotic, with one central figure having a control on all manner of productions. Sumerians is one of the societies found in Mesopotamia. These people used barley, wheat and silver as the various means of currency (Muntone, 2012). The economic system in Mesopotamia was very easy to control by the leaders of the Sumerians. For example, if a leader was able to control the production of wheat, then the economic control of Mesopotamia will follow. The Sumerians did not have an economic and social stratification system. On this basis, egalitarianism was the major social organization that was seen throughout Mesopotamia. The Sumerians symbolized deities into the various elements that they had authority over. On this basis, there was the god of the moon, of the sun, of fertility etc. Sumerians were aware of the different properties of the earth, and they modeled these properties in a manner that would make the world to be more personable (Muntone, 2012). Some of the religious beliefs of the Sumerians are similar to that of the Christians and Jewish religion. For instance, the Sumerians believed that mankind was removed from paradise as a punishment of eating a forbidden fruit. Sumerians also had some knowledge in writings, and much of the knowledge concerning ancient Mesopotamia is found in their clay tablet writings that have survived until now. The Chariots and Diffusion: Chariots are examples of carriages that use animals for movement. The first use of chariots was for carrying soldiers and weapons to battle fields and as platforms for mobile archery. These chariots were also used for hunting purposes and as a mode of transportation for many people. The first chariot was a two wheeled conveyance that was powered by two or more horses. The invention of the spoked wheel made it possible to construct a light horse-drawn chariot (Muntone, 2012). This was for purposes of being used in battle. The earliest chariots were developed in the ca 3000BC. They had military significance, and in the 1st century AD, these chariots were no longer used in battle. It is believed that Chariots first emerged from Mesopotamia in about 3000 BC. These chariots were called carts or wagons, and they were double axled and pulled by an oxen/ asses. This is before the introduction of horses in around ca 2000. Sumerians used these chariots for funeral processions or festivals, and were not meant for battle fields. This is until the periods of the mid 2000 when the spoked wheel appeared in Mesopotamia. This made it possible for chariots to be driven by horses, and be used for battle fields. In around 2000 BC, the people of Eurasia managed to fully develop a battlefield chariot (Muntone, 2012). These people were found in the present day Russia and Kazakhstan. The Eurasian culture came from the Yamna culture and was characterized by the building of fortified settlements, engaging in bronze metallurgy and practicing of complex burial rituals. In the 1200BC, the Hittites improved on the chariot designs of the people of the Eurasian culture by building chariots made of lighter wheels with four spokes. This was as opposed to the present designs of chariots that had heavy wheals with eight spokes. These chariots had the capability of holding three people, as opposed to the earlier designs that had the capability of holding only two warriors. In the 16th century, chariots were introduced in Egypt. They made a great contribution to the Egyptian military successes, and they were the main ways of carrying out an attack by the Egyptian army (Muntone, 2012). The Egyptians also made a contribution to the development of the chariots through their invention of the yoke saddle in the 1500 BC, while the Persians managed to use this technology by yoking four horses in a saddle rather than two. This is in the 1st millennium. Development of United States: The Irish Potato famine and the Gold Rush are two environmental and geographic factors that have made a contribution to the development of the United States. The Irish Potato famine is an important and significant factor that helped in the growth of the American population. It also made a contribution to the American workforce because of the large number of Irish immigrants who came to the United States. The Irish farmers were poor and always lived a risk of being evicted from their lands by their respective landlords. This is because rents were being raised, and farms were downsized (Muntone, 2012). These farmers planted potatoes and used these crops to feed their families and pay their land rents. However, in 1845, potatoes failed to grow in Ireland, and this happened for the next four years. This caused death, starvation and emergence of diseases such as typhus. To protect themselves, many people of Ireland migrated to United States for purposes of seeking a new beginning. This led to the growth of the American population and the availability of labor to power the American industry. The Gold Rush is also another environmental factor that played a great role in the development of the United States (Muntone, 2012). This happened between the periods of 1848-1855 after the discovery of gold in California. California managed to attract approximately 300,000 immigrants in 1848 upon the delivery of news that gold is found in the state. Gold also attracted thousands of people from Asia, Europe, Australia and Latin America. The effects of this gold rush were very great, and an example is the growth of San Francisco. In 1846, San Francisco was a small town with a population of around 200 people. By 1852, San Francisco had a population of more than 36,000 people (Muntone, 2012). To facilitate movements of people, roads and railroads were built across California. On this basis, Gold Rush made a major contribution to the development of United States. \ References: Muntone, S. (2012). World history demystified. New York: McGraw-Hill. Read More