From Piraeus to Mykonos it takes four hours to reach the midpoint of the Aegean Sea almost east-west direction. Passenger ships at sea, occasionally passing a number of large and small islands, many of them are small enough to have no economic value. But all the islands of the Aegean Sea in ancient Greece may have names, many of which only acts as a beacon in the seemingly chaotic sea, draw a legible route. Even the advent of night, part of the island inhabited by lighthouse lights can play a role, with the guidance of the stars, the night also navigable. When the storm struck, but also find the island to escape as soon as possible and avoid the loss of goods and high safety level of protection. This unique geographical conditions in the early stages of human civilization.
I used to take the ferry from Dalian to Tianjin, across the Bohai Sea, lean on a railing overlooking, Tianshui vast, billowing waves, between the vessel rare, sudden and devastating loneliness, fear there will be night, and sailing in the Aegean Sea are two completely feel. Aegean belongs to the Mediterranean Sea, Bohai Bay, China is relatively close to the geographical conditions in the Mediterranean region. Liang in the poem of the Chinese Yellow Sea, Bohai Sea and the Mediterranean side by side, which saw similarities. In fact the Mediterranean in particular alternative in nature, the land surrounded on all sides by Europe, Asia and Africa, only in the western end of the Strait of Gibraltar opened a small hole connected with the Atlantic, it is more like a lake. Most similar to the Baltic Sea and the Mediterranean, but the high latitude, small size, small islands, only after the process development effort.
Aegean Mediterranean is one of the most peaceful in the Great Lakes, an area of 214,000 square kilometers, an average depth of 570 meters, there are more than 2,500 islands. Aegean west width of 300 kilometers, half of about 150 kilometers. Ancient Ship rely more on wind, water and manpower, speed is not fixed. If we assume an average speed of 5 km, which is the general adult walking pace, then across the Aegean Sea it takes 60 hours to two and a half or so. If we slow, counted as three days. This means that goods from Athens to Miletus two major economic centers of ancient Greece in transit time of three days, the equivalent of an international long-haul business is now complete. If the wind, with the water flow, coupled with labor will be faster. This speed and the corresponding cost of shipping, land transportation was difficult to match.
Adverse natural conditions is the biggest obstacle isolated human interaction. Bohai Sea to the east of the Pacific, an area of 77,000 square kilometers, an average depth of 18 meters, more mud shoal, there are more than 30 islands, surrounded by the Liaodong Peninsula and Shandong Peninsula, the narrowest point of the Straits from Penglai to Lushun about 100 kilometers. China and the Korean ancestors long maritime exchanges, Qi Eastern Zhou period was also the economically developed areas. But if on the frequency of intercourse, it can not be compared with the Aegean Sea. Regardless of other factors aside, small waves and shallow water depth and waves is the biggest difference between the two. Fishermen and businessmen in order to survive, are adventurous groups, but if the probability Daohai feed the fish too much, people will still weigh. When to modern times, dredging port construction, ship shuttle small Bohai Bay actually built more than a dozen international port, have a busy scene.
Sea during early human civilization can reach from the Pacific Ocean along the Bohai Sea, the Indian Ocean all the way to number, Yellow Sea, East China Sea, South China Sea, the Bay of Bengal, the Arabian Sea conditions are similar, the Persian Gulf and Red Sea conditions are slightly better, but can not be compared with the Aegean Sea. Due to the special nature of ancient Greek civilization, it is summed up as ocean views will be civilized, and referred to in other parts of the river civilization. This contrast is very popular, even extending to modern history. But there are also obsessed views towards the extreme contrast to the opposition, it can almost be described as tragic. But the difference really that big? Really incompatible? Whether the starting point is the clash of civilizations?
Born in the early civilizations beside the river, it is a basic common sense. West of the Euphrates and Tigris, the Nile in Egypt, the Indus and the Ganges in India, China's Yellow River, the river basin wide area, tributaries, rich, fertile land. Human After a lengthy picking and hunting and fishing life, and gradually grow in some valley areas of food, livestock, began to settle in life, provide the material basis for the emergence of civilization. With the increase in population, efforts to improve food production, enhanced survivability. However, if the decline in soil fertility or flooding and diversions, people are forced to move, we need to find new ones.
Subdivision look, you can find a strong stability of two rivers, the Nile, the Indus, the possibility of diversion is very low, there is the proliferation of certain laws, easy to grasp, is an important factor in the earlier three regions of civilization appears. The Yellow River and the Ganges is less stable, often erratic flooded, people are forced to migrate, so civilization appeared later. The reasons for this difference, in addition to their own special conditions, such as geology, topography, altitude, latitude, sunshine, temperature, precipitation, animals and plants, but it may be related to the flow of the river. It is clear from the map, River middle and lower reaches of the river before the four basic north-south flow, small tributaries, drainage area is relatively small, and the Yellow River and the east-west flow of the Ganges and its tributaries, wide drainage area. Rivers by latitude and influence sunshine, precipitation and snow conditions are different. North and South River and tributaries to the consistent wet peak of the river, an effort to make, so causing periodic flooding downstream. The wet stuff to the mainstream and tributaries of the peak of the river is different, each force, there are differences in direction, resulting in erratic river flooding, and even frequently diverted. Today, too, the number of natural disasters, to the north and south of the river is far less than what the river.
Nile and Yellow River as an example, compare the stability of the river, you can see more clearly. The Nile is the world's longest river originates in the southern highlands of Burundi on the equatorial highlands of East Africa, a total length of 6670 km, crossing the latitude of about 35 degrees, the following downstream from Aswan thousand kilometers virtually no major tributaries. Nile every year from June to October periodic flooding. People staying high, 10 months later, the flood subsided, bringing new soil. On these fertile soil, people cultivated crops. Such a law earlier mastered the ancient Egyptians, since farming for wide geographical rotation is also formed between the upper and lower Egypt Thebes, the capital also the upstream and downstream of Memphis.
China's Yellow River originates in Qinghai Bayan Har Mountains, a total length of 5464 km, across latitudes is about 8 degrees, further comprising a middle unexpected "a few" words, many downstream tributaries, dense river network. Because through the Loess Plateau, the Yellow River is the world's largest river sediment concentration, often caused river siltation, water wet plus dry tributaries of time difference, so flooding is no law to follow the Yellow River, the river still serious to diversions staged Shenlongbaiwei. Chinese ancestors benefited from the Yellow River, but also very suffer, looking for a long-term place to live in peace is very difficult. Early Chinese cultural sites around the middle reaches of the Yellow River and tributaries, are widely distributed, but the survival time is relatively short. India Ganges basin have similar circumstances, there is no accumulation, hard into the atmosphere. In contrast, two of the Nile River and the early cultural sites are more concentrated. So after entering the era of civilization, Mesopotamia dense city to city falls, head of the degree of foot, so far how dating is a challenge. Relatively loose Nile Basin, showing the city to suffer the city, side by side look, now arranged breathtaking architectural monuments.
China to Shang when circumstances change. Shang total of five hundred years, two hundred years ago moved the capital to a total of six times, still the same, may be the main cause of flooding, There is also a war and gradually barren soil and other reasons, until after the Pan Geng moved the capital to Yin Ruins in Anyang, just ease down. Anyang located in the plains, from the Taihang Mountains close, far away from the Yellow River. This belt warm climate, abundant rainfall, lush vegetation, many animals, small tributary near Zhang and hydrological stability, suitable for agricultural production and hunting, long-term settlement to build the city. The level of agricultural Shang improved during this period, mastered the remediation of land, irrigation and a series of technical, spent the latter half of the dynasty, leaving fine bronzes, as well as a brilliant Oracle. It follows that Oracle can only occur in the late Shang Dynasty, and the history of Chinese civilization text determination probably have to be shortened.
How qualitative Xia has been plagued Chinese people, always hoping to find text in ruins. Early Shang situation is not clear, the offspring inherit the previous experience he has accumulated over the years, only to find Anyang a poised, stable housing, people create difficulty Xia civilization imagined. So it may be the Xia culture, no civilization Xia. Hopefully archaeological miracle, although the probability is very low.
By contrast it can be seen in Eurasia and North Africa, the Ganges and the Yellow River civilization later than two rivers, the Nile civilization appear, all of the same type, and ancient Greek and Phoenician grow significantly different. But the use of marine does not mean you can greatly exaggerate the role of the ocean, river and its peer. Ancient Greek and Phoenician in survival is difficult to achieve self-sufficiency, mainly in the production processes of life on land, after all, humans can not drink the bitter water, even if the fishing vessel have against the land of production. Marine transportation and commerce just borrow, thus bring out a lot of military, political and inland different. Ancient Greece and Ancient Egypt, backed by two rivers two good shade tree, without them, the ancient Greek civilization can not separate breeds. Because of dependence is too strong, it will have to question the nature of their original culture. It follows the legendary sunken Atlantis (Atlantis), either in the Mediterranean or the Atlantic Ocean, they are unlikely to produce miracle of civilization and prosperity.
To the birth of civilization based on material production, the so-called civilization can not exist independently of the ocean, rivers and marine civilization civilization toward opposition, and undesirable, even the title is debatable. Pioneering and innovative spirit is the greatest praise of the marine civilization, specious argument, ignoring the complexity of the marine environment, but the conclusion exclusive common humanity. But no pioneering and innovative spirit, how the birth of civilization? And from the perspective of economic geography, the Mediterranean is just difficult to survive a lake, surrounded by no more than the often caused by drought or flooding rivers. South Pacific islands already inhabited, it is a real being surrounded by the sea, the giant statues on Easter Island are amazing. But the social process is extremely slow, like a living fossil in general, difficult to find traces of civilization. So take advantage of the ocean, but the extension is part of civilization or period of industrial civilization agriculture, difficult to be regarded as an independent form of civilization. People are terrestrial mammals, marine only human space activities expand, rather than living space in the strict sense. Marine culture and civilization rivers, saltwater into freshwater culture and civilization, which at the absurdity of it will be more obvious. If dolphins evolved into higher intelligent beings, and human competition, it touches can be called "Ocean Civilization."
Ocean Civilization negative statement, saying the same river civilization will be negative, but also do not have to create a "river civilization", "lake civilization", "well water civilization" and other titles to correspond. Because even if there are rivers, not necessarily the birth of civilization, for example, it can only be regarded as middle Euphrates and Tigris rivers, rivers than they grow a lot, but some of them still deserted the surrounding rivers. Freshwater birth of civilization only a necessary but insufficient condition, by contrast, is more like a necessary and sufficient conditions for agriculture, so the early human civilizations, collectively referred to as "agricultural civilization" more accurate. Emphasizing the common basis of further detailed analysis of the differences between specific aspects. The problem reduces to complex, in addition to asking for trouble, maybe even disgrace, and discussion of civilization seem to be always the case.
(Author: Ding Fuji Ark)
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