Civilizations by rivers
Rivers and streams have always been the origin of civilizations.
Civilizations by rivers
Ancient civilizations settled by rivers or streams and their lifestyle was deeply connected with water. Pottery, iron industry, clothes manufacture, masonry, domestic life, farming, livestock, everything spun around water. Some cultures, for instance Celts, thought wells to be sacred.
In Ávila, Vettons, a pre-roman culture, got their highest splendour between IV and II century B.C. They built their “castros” or oppida near the main rivers in the province: Tormes, Corneja, but very specially near the Adaja.
Vettons’ economy was based on agriculture and livestock: sheep, goats, pigs and cows were their most precious treasure and so they constantly looked for good pasture and marked the areas with “verracos” or stone sculptures. Taking livestock from one place to another to find fresh grass was one of their most important tasks. Their animals provided them with meat, milk, fur to make clothes and horns to make tools. When they died, they were cremated with everything they owned and the remains were kept in funerary urns. They defended their possessions with iron weapons inside their fortified settlements.
Now, choose a picture, give it a title and write a comment concerning the activity it involved and its
connection with water.
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Comments
The biggest river in Romania is the Danube (Dunarea in Romanian).It forms a natural border between our country and some of our neighbours- Bulgaria and Serbia. It flows into the Black Sea but before doing that it forms a large three branch delta.
This is a very special place, a unique bird paradise made of water, islands and luxurious vegetation (willows, reed, birch trees etc.). People here live rather isolated because it is difficult to get to their villages, many of which can only be reached by boat, so they have to rely on themselves. They are mostly fishermen or have other occupations related to water.
In the Village Museum in Bucharest ther are some houses brought from there, they are all painted blue like the water. There are also many objects, related to fishing and food cooking, but also pieces of furniture, boats, dishes and I think I saw a loom similar to the one in the picture here.
It is a hard life there. The Danube Delta is a great place for tourism but it is not enough turned to good account. Anyone who comes to Romania should spend some days in the Danube Delta.
Posted by: Irina Vasilescu | February 11, 2006 04:18 PM
PICTURE 3: The picture is a tomb. In this tomb they found swords, buckles, knives...constructed by smith and they found a jar constructed by potters, this potter and smith used water to make kneaded.
These things were more valuable and so they buried together with their dead.
Posted by: Sheila y Maria | February 17, 2006 01:41 PM
we choose the second picture.They are objets from Vetton civilizations.The Vettons used these objets for different things.There are vessels and iron pieces:brooch,handlebar with a head ...
Posted by: Mónica & Teresa | February 17, 2006 01:44 PM
we have chosen the three photograph. This photograph deals with when they cremated Vettons men and women and buried them with their utensils. the arms were built by the blacksmiths and they used the water so that the arms did not bend when they put the arms to the fire to construct them.
Posted by: miriam y bea | February 17, 2006 01:46 PM
The vessel was made with mud and the Vettons needed water to make that mud. They could use vessels to take food and water.
The containers also made of mud and served to make cheese.
The clasp was done with bronze and the blacksmiths did and they used the water to temper the arms that were hot.
The weapons were also made by the blacksmiths.
And the kettles were also made the blacksmiths.
Posted by: Ana García and Esther Velázquez | February 17, 2006 01:47 PM
the picture one has jewels that belong to the princesses and they were buried with them, as well as with hadles of sword, belt buckles.
Posted by: miriam hernandez | February 17, 2006 01:47 PM
The Oder river is the second largest river in Poland. It flows through Opole and it has the influence on the climate here.
Odra (Czech-Odra, German-Oder, Latin-Viadrina) is a river in the Central Europe which flows through the Czech Republic, Poland and Germany.
Odra has its spring in the Odrzańskie Mountains on the height of 632m above sea level. In the upper part, Odra is shortly a border river between Poland and the Czech Republic, and in the lower part, between Poland and Germany ( on the 1/5 length of its flow).It flows into Szczeciński Bay. Odra’s length is 854,3 km (in Poland-741,9 km).Its river-basin’s area is 118,86 thousand km2 (in Poland106,05 thousand). The average river’s slope in its upper part is 7‰ ,beneath Morawska Gate the slope decreases to 1 ‰, and the average slope throughout the length is 0,73‰.
Due to regulation, Odra is the best inland water way in Poland (it’s navigable from the estuary of Opawa and the length of this part is 761 km, canalized from Kędzierzyn-Koźle to Lower Brzeg), used by Central European countries without access to sea.
Although Odra is poor in water, it floods very often.The biggest and the most dangerous flood, called “the millennium flood”, took place in July 1997. Racibórz, Opole and Wrocław suffered severely from this disaster. By the estuary of Small Panwia, near Opole on the 10/11 July 1997 Odra’s level increased to 733 cm and the flow to 3500 m3/s ( the average flow being 42 times smaller (82,5 m3/s), the highest level was 644 cm on the 28 August 1813 ,moreover, the minimum was 44 cm on the 1 February 1956). The previous flood, however not so disastrous, in 1905 flooded in Wrocław, among all, the vicinity of the railway station. After the catastrophe, it was decided to build the system of embankments, canals and flood-gates which proved to be effective for the next 90 years, but in 1997 failed.
In the Odra’s river-basin 7 power plants are located ( the biggest one in Lower Brzeg with the power of 9,7 MW).
From the Latin name of Odra Euroregion “Pro Europa Viadrina” (set up on the 21 December 1993) and the Polish-German “Viadrina European University” in Frankfurt upon Oder took their names.
Posted by: Izabela Kolodziejczyk | March 3, 2006 05:15 PM
The biggest river in Romania is the Danube (Dunarea in Romanian).It forms a natural border between our country and some of our neighbours- Bulgaria and Serbia. It flows into the Black Sea but before doing that it forms a large three branch delta.
This is a very special place, a unique bird paradise made of water, islands and luxurious vegetation (willows, reed, birch trees etc.). People here live rather isolated because it is difficult to get to their villages, many of which can only be reached by boat, so they have to rely on themselves. They are mostly fishermen or have other occupations related to water.
In the Village Museum in Bucharest there are some houses brought from there, they are all painted blue like the water. There are also many objects, related to fishing and food cooking, but also pieces of furniture, boats, dishes and I think I saw a loom similar to the one in the picture here.
Posted by: Anonymous | April 20, 2006 02:22 PM