What geographic factor encouraged civilization to begin in Mesopotamia?

Question

Protection from invaders by the Fertile Crescent Mountains
The Silk Road passed through the region, connecting it to China
Hundreds of lakes scattered throughout the region were ideal for irrigation
The fertile valley between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers

Answer 1

Mesopotamia (The Land Between the Rivers = Tigris & Euphrates) was an alluvial floodplain, like the Nile Valley in Egypt. So, answer D: the fertile valley ...

"The Fertile Crescent is a historical crescent-shape region in the Middle East incorporating the Levant, Mesopotamia and Ancient Egypt.
"The Fertile Crescent has an impressive record of past human activity. As well as possessing many sites with the skeletal and cultural remains of both pre-modern and early modern humans ... this area is most famous for its sites related to the origins of agriculture. The western zone around the Jordan and upper Euphrates rivers gave rise to the first known Neolithic farming settlements ... which date to around 9,000 BCE ... This region, alongside Mesopotamia (which lies to the east of the Fertile Crescent, between the rivers Tigris and Euphrates), also saw the emergence of early complex societies during the succeeding Bronze Age. There is also early evidence from this region for writing, and the formation of state-level societies. This has earned the region the nickname "The Cradle of Civilization."
"As crucial as rivers were to the rise of civilization in the Fertile Crescent, they were not the only factor in the area's precocity. The Fertile Crescent had a climate which encouraged the evolution of many annual plants, which produce more edible seeds than perennials, and the region's dramatic variety of elevation gave rise to many species of edible plants for early experiments in cultivation. Most importantly, the Fertile Crescent possessed the wild progenitors of the eight Neolithic founder crops important in early agriculture ... and four of the five most important species of domesticated animals — cows, goats, sheep, and pigs — and the fifth species, the horse, lived nearby. These considerations are a major area of focus and analysis in the book Guns, Germs, and Steel." [1]

"Food supply in Mesopotamia was quite rich due to the location of the two rivers from which its name is derived, Tigris and Euphrates. The Tigris and Euphrates rivers surrounded an area refered to as the Fertile Crescent. Although land nearer to the rivers was fertile and good for crops, portions of land further from the water were dry and largely uninhabitable. This is why the development of irrigation was very important for settlers of Mesopotamia. Other Mesopotamian innovations include the control of water by dams and the use of aqueducts. " [2]

BTW, the book mentioned in part 1 [Guns, Germs & Steel by Jared Diamond] is one of the best books I've ever read. I highly recommend it for anyone interested in the history of human civilization.

Answer 2

The fertile valley between the Tigris and Euphrates [ The Cradle of civilization] rivers. Reason the fertile valley contained rich farming country .

Answer 3

Most likely the fertile area between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. Allowed for the development of agriculture, which in turn enabled large, complex cities to develop. It was also strategically located between the Orient and the Occident and sort of a crossroads for trade and commerce.

Answer 4

This sounds quite like homework to me. Geography influences civilisation in that it determines the culture that will live there. Farming can't take place in certain areas. Nor can logging. Mill towns came up around rivers which were used to power the mills. Raising animals requires grazing land. Today, we are modifying geography by creating reservoirs and extracting water from the ground. In parts of California, the groud is actually sinking due to the extraction of water. BTW... what does this have to do wtih religion or spirituality?

Answer 5

the fertile valley.