Ancient River Valley Civilizations
Early civilizations formed near rivers to take advantage of fertile, irrigated soil and ease of transportation. A surplus of
agricultural production led to the rise of complex human societies, or civilizations. With the need of agricultural societies to
irrigate, it is not surprising that many civilizations emerged in river valleys. The River Valley civilizations that emerged on
the Yellow River (China), the Indus River (India), the Nile River (Egypt), and between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers
(Mesopotamia) made lasting contributions to civilizations. This assignment will allow you to choose a topic focused on one
of the great river valley civilizations.
I. Choose one of the River Valley civilizations listed below:
Yellow River (China)
Indus River (India)
Nile River (Egypt)
Tigris and Euphrates Rivers (Mesopotamia)
II. Choose one focus/topic listed below:
Religious beliefs and practices
Accomplishments or innovations
Specific rulers or individuals associated with the civilization
Lifestyle (homes, food, clothing, customs, family structure)
Military (wars, weapons, military tactics, conquests)
Economy and government
Archeological discoveries
III. For the River Valley civilization you have chosen, research and write a short essay on one of the focus/topics listed
above. The body of your essay should be at least 350 words and contain verifiable historical information and detail. For
example, if you choose the Nile River (Egypt) for your ‘civilization’ and “Religious beliefs and practices” as your focus,
your essay might include information on Egyptian deities, religious ceremonies and practices, the role of mummification,
and/or legends associated with gods and goddesses. You may use you textbook, Internet resources, books and magazines.
Please double-space your essay and use a readable font such as Times New Roman. Do not copy from your sources—
your work must be in your own words. This assignment will be evaluated by SafeAssign—check your Originality
Report and make corrections if the originality percentage is more than 30%. You have a second chance to submit
your work with corrections.
IV. Copy and paste at least 3 illustrations or photographs that depict information presented in your essay. You may present
these illustrations as an ‘album’ on a separate page or throughout your essay.
V. Works cited page. List your resources—you may use a MLA or APA format for the works cited page
