In Mesopotamia, the people relied heavily on the Tigris and Euphrates rivers for irrigation, which allowed them to develop agriculture in the arid landscape. The rivers provided a source of fertile soil and water, enabling them to cultivate crops like barley and wheat, and also served as important trade routes for transporting goods and resources.
In ancient Egypt, the Nile River was crucial to the civilization's agricultural success, as it flooded annually, depositing nutrient-rich silt on the banks. This predictable flooding allowed the Egyptians to grow surplus crops, which supported a complex society, and the river also served as a vital transportation route for trade and communication between different regions of the kingdom.