GKE Task 1
Development of Societies
The Nile River was a major environmental structure that contributed to the early development of society in Egypt. The Nile had such predictable flooding and recession patterns that farmers were able to create a yearly calendar based on them. This assisted them with knowing when to plant and harvest crops. Knowing when the water levels would be high enabled them to build reservoirs for crop irrigation during the times when there was less water. The river also contained silt, a mineral which enhanced the soil and the crops that grew along the banks. (Orlin, 2010, p. 284) Some of the major crops that were utilized included beans, cotton, wheat, barley, emmer, and papyrus, a reed that was used to make things like baskets, sandals, and boats. (Association, 2014)
The Nile River opens to the Mediterranean Sea with dessert surrounding the east and west sides. Due to this layout, farmers were confident that their land and crops were protected from invasions. With this security they were able to focus on learning about their crops, excelling a food production, and eventually learned to do things like make clothing from cotton. (Association, 2014)

Diffusion between Societies
Chariots, two wheeled horse-drawn carts were first used by the Indo-Iranians in 2000 BCE. They were made of solid, heavy wood and held together with wood pegs. Being made of such substantial material could make them very difficult to turn and control. (Carney, 2014)
Around 1700 BCE chariots were introduced into Egypt when the Hyksos invaded. The men came in very powerful and fast in the carts draw by two horses. The chariots could hold two men at once, one to navigate and one to fire weapons. By the 15th century Egyptians had reconstructed the chariot and made it faster, stronger, lighter, and easier to navigate. These chariots were made of leather and flexible wood. Terrain that had once been impassable by chariot was now easy to maneuver. (Carney, 2014)
1274 BCE brought the battle of Kadesh. Both the Egyptians and the Hitties had chariots however they were very different. While the Egyptians chariots were light and fast, the Hitties chariots were heavier and could carry three men. For them this meant that they not only had a driver and someone to fire weapons, they had a man to shield and protect. The outcome of the battle of Kadesh is still disputed. (Carney, 2014)

Environmental or Physical Geographic Factors
The Dust Bowl
The Dust Bowl of the 1930’s occurred due to nature’s response to the ground in the mid-west United States being over farmed, grasslands being destroyed, high temperatures, and the beginning of a long drought. For almost ten years dust and dry soil covered a large portion of the United States. This destroyed farms and left many homeless with nearly 2.5 million people leaving the plains. In response to the dust bowl, soil conservation and land management programs were put in place by the government to regulate the way crops are farmed in order to prevent such a disaster from occurring again. (The Nature Conservancy, 2014)
The Gold Rush
The Gold Rush began in 1848 when John Marshall, foreman at John Sutter’s Mill, found some gold nuggets in the river water. Word quickly spread of the discovery. While many settlers had already made their way to California to take advantage of the land for farming, thousands of people began to come from all over the world to California to mine for gold. (Barclay, 2001)
Gold material was mostly found along the river banks. It is heavier than the dirt and sands of the rivers and will settle to the bottom when placed in a sifting pan or container. Miners quickly began to discover new ways to mine for the metal more efficiently, moving from sifting pans to more elaborate hydraulic machinery that would wash soil from the larger rocks revealing embedded gold deep within the earth once most of the surface gold had been mined. As a result of the gold rush, new towns were erected, and the population flourished growing nearly ten times over a four year period. (Barclay, 2001)

Works Cited
Association, T. I. (2014). UShistory.org. Retrieved from www.ushistory.org/civ/3a.asp
Barclay, D. (2001). California Historical Society. Retrieved from http://www.californiahistoricalsociety.org/research/pdf/California_Gold_Rush.pdf
Carney, R. (2014). The Chariot: A Weapon that Revolutionized Egyptian Warfare. Retrieved from History Matters Appalachian State University: http://historymatters.appstate.edu/sites/historymatters.appstate.edu/files/egyptchariots_000.pdf
Orlin, L. L. (2010). Life and Thought un the Ancient near East. Ann Arbor, MI, USA: University of Michigan Press.
The Nature Conservancy. (2014). Retrieved from http://www.nature.org/ourinitiatives/regions/northamerica/when-the-dust-settled.xml