Nile River Case

GKE Task 1

One significant geographical factor that shaped the development of the Egyptian society was undeniably the Nile River. This development was strongly rooted in agriculture and revolved around the ebb and flow of the Nile River. The predictable floods that took place allowed the Egyptian people to harness the commodity of its nutrient rich water in the development of “catch basins, dikes, and channels for irrigation” (Orlin, 2007). Once these floods receded, nutrient rich fields were left to be cultivated and seeded. This dependence on agriculture shaped the Egyptian empire. Its development was not one of a single urban center but more so stretched along the Nile River (Orlin, 2007). These expansions were dependent on new field developments and the establishment of communities or nomes (Orlin, 2007). These series of nomes along the Nile River ultimately served as the foundation for the Egyptian administration (Orlin, 2007). The Nile River .further provided a means for the Egyptian empire to develop trade and communication routes with the Pheonician ports to the north (Orlin, 2007).

The chariot was first developed in the Eurasian steppe. The Eurasian steppe encompasses a strip of grassland stretching from Hungary to China (Pulbins, 2013). The chariot invention took place around 2000 B.C.E (Plubins, 2013). Thought to be developed to enhance hunting it was eventually identified as a weapon whereas soldiers could shoot at enemies while performing evasive maneuvers. This led to the improved ability of the steppe people to aggressively acquire hunting ground and land rights from neighboring settlements (Plubins, 2013). The recognition by neighboring settlements of the chariots military prowess led to the diffusion of the chariot. The diffusion of the chariot technology spread first to Syria in 1800 B.C.E. (Plubins, 2013). Over the next four centuries the chariot was replicated by all of “Europe, Middle East, India, and China” (Plubins, 2013). It was identified as the “Master Weapon” (Plubins, 2013) and played a vital role in many battles amongst the different civilizations. The most famous was the battle of Kadesh between the super powers of Egypt and Hatti in 1294 B.C.E. (Plubins, 2013). The chariot remained the prominent military weapon until the beginning of its decline around 1294 B.C.E. (Plubins, 2013).

One significant physical geographic