Reply #23: Some answers [View All]

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

1. Geography is vital to settlement. Water, be it rivers, lakes, or harborages on the ocean, played a key factor in the development of cities. In Ancient Egypt, the entire culture was built around the Nile, because it was the one waterway in a desert-like setting. And water is vital to growing crops. The Tigris and Euphrates helped give rise to the Babylonian culture; Tyre was an important city because of its seaport. This is seen over and over again throughout history-look at the largest cities today-all are on water, and most are important ports.

2. The Church helped to hold together society after the fall of the Roman Empire. It was through the church that European kings were able to cement their hold on power-they declared themselves 'divinely appointed'.

3. The religion of Islam was successful because of its tolerance (people were not forced to convert-Jews and Christians were allowed to live in peace in Islamic society. Yes, they paid a special tax, but they were not required to be soldiers, either) and the common-sense attitude found in the Qur'an. Divorce was allowed, women given more rights than ever before, all Muslims treated equally in fellowship-a poor person could rise to power in the classical Islamic world.

4. Ceasar Augustus initiated imperial edicts such as an empire wide census and deployment of armies and governors that would be used as a model in later years by other empires.