Why was the first civilization near water?

Answer 1

Although we are separated by the vast expanse of time and space, the ancients and we moderns easily accept that water is truly the essence of life. Of course, we can quench our thirst freely. For the ancients, however, life-giving water was something that had to be obtained with hardship. The first civilizations in the West were hydraulic civilizations, which means that civilizations had to be expert in the management of water. These earliest civilizations began in the Ancient Near East in the delta region of the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers in Mesopotamia—the “land between the rivers”—and along the Nile River in Egypt.

The construction of irrigation ditches and canals were necessary to carry water further from the shores of these important rivers. Such a task involved the skilled management of men and material, a task that eventually made some kind of bureaucratic control absolutely essential. Once these rivers had been tamed, mankind could settle down into even more permanent villages and from these the mighty empires of the Ancient Near East and Egypt appeared.

While water is essential for life, water was also considered to possess life-giving and regenerative powers. And, of course, the civilizations of the Ancient Near East and Egypt attributed these powers to their pantheon of gods and goddesses. On a more practical level, the Greeks used water to mix with the fruit of their vines and the Romans constructed aqueducts to carry water to their many cities. The management of water, then, was perhaps one of the most important tasks given to humanity at its earliest stage of civilization.

Answer 2

Most civilizations were founded near water so they could bathe in it, drink it, and travel to distant lands to trade goods with other cities.

Answer 3

Because being near water has great advantages. You have control over import export, all of the waters' resources, and means of travel more efficient than traveling on foot.

Answer 4

Because people can't live where they can't find water. Plus, oceans and lakes provide more than water, they provide a food source, in addition to farming and raising animals.

Answer 5

Water is a necessity for life: people drink water, can get food from water (namely fish), can clean themselves in water, and can easily transport stuff via water

Answer 6

Mesopotamia was the first civilization, and it was between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers in what is now Iran. but do you mean oceans?

Answer 7

because there are all sorts of delicious things in the water and around the water, and it is free and fun entertainment, and it is the easiest for those folk to travel in.

Answer 8

coz all living things need water

Answer 9

So they could bathe with it, drink from it, use it for irrigation, wash thier clothes. You know, that kind of stuff.

Answer 10

because it needed some place to pee