Why Live by a River?How Ancient Civilizations settled near

water

I can explain why a river location contributes to the development of a civilization

What do these capital cities have in common?“They are all located on a _ _ _ _ _?”

If you lived during ancient times...

most people were farmers

no running water ( not toilets, no sinks etc.)

need fertile soil (soil with nutrients for food to grow)

fertile soil is by rivers

Also need water to make your crops grow

How do you get water to grow food?

Why live near a river?

PROS CONS

Challenge 1: Set up your farm

Place your “house” where you think it should go

Plant your “crops” around your home

Team Discussion: Why would a farmer plant crops close to the river?

Challenge 2: Survive the flood

Oh no! The river flooded!

What happened to your farm?

How would this effect your life?

Move your house to where you feel it would be safer

Plant your crops around your new location

Team Discussion: What problems might you have if you move farther away from the river?

Challenge 3: Irrigation System

Now that your farm is farther from the river, you will need to find a way to bring water to your crops.

Use the “clay” to build an “irrigation system”so that when the river floods again the extra water will go toward your crops and NOT your house.

Team Discussion: How did your new irrigation system help your life?

Challenge 4: More rivers

Look at any map in your book. As a team, find one other major city located on or near a river?

Why do you think they settled at that location?

Why live near a river?

PROS

• Transportation

• Irrigation (use water for crops)

• Protection

• Food source ( fish)

• Fertile soil ( silt left behind from flooding)

CONS

Flooding could ruin your house and crops

Lets

Review!

Food for thought...

Living by rivers makes farming better because....

Farmers can now produce food to keep for themselves AND

extra food to sell

Extra food=

bigger population

specialization ( word from last week)

Look at your paragraph from last week about NEOLITHIC PEOPLE. Discuss how their lives changed once they began growing their own food.

Combine this info with what you just learned.

NOW, ON THE BACK OF YOUR ‘RIVER’ WORKSHEET give 2 examples of how having extra food would help a civilization

how would their way of life change? What new ideas/ inventions would they make?