During first-wave civilizations, Mesopotamia and the Shang both used technology to adapt to their environment. First wave civilizations Mesopotamia and Shang used technology to adapt to their environment in the development of trading tools, writing systems and the construction of architecture. In like manner, Mesopotamia and Shang both used tools to travel long distances when they traded, while Mesopotamia used wheeled vehicles to transport their gold and ivory, Shang used wheelbarrows to transport silk, jade and porcelain along the Silk Road. However, Mesopotamia was located between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers which when they flooded would deposit silt and create fertile land for crops making Mesopotamia the crossroads of the world as…show more content… Mesopotamia used wheeled vehicles to transport luxury items such as gold and ivory to Egypt, while the Shang used wheelbarrows to transport silk, jade and porcelain along the Silk Road. Mesopotamia’s geography between the Tigris and Euphrates’s Rivers allowed them to plant crops such as wheat and barley since the rivers would deposit silt and make Mesopotamia known as the Fertile Crescent. For this reason, Mesopotamia was known as the crossroads of the world because it could also trade wheat and barley with Egypt, while Shang was more isolated. However, both Mesopotamia and Shang faced crop failure, yet in different ways, Mesopotamia’s rivers flooded unpredictably destroying crop yields, while Shang used a digging stick for crops and had locusts destroy their crops causing a decline in…show more content… However, Shang also built flood controls to control the water flow from the Yellow River. For this reason, Shang were more prepared when to plant their crops and could save some of their crops before the floods. Mesopotamia’s extensive irrigation systems salinized the soil and ruined crop yields. Both Mesopotamia and Shang had walls to defend against foreign invaders, while Mesopotamia built wall in Uruk, Shang had the Great
