Abstract
No culture is isolated from other cultures. Nor is any culture changeless, invariant or static. All cultures are in a state of constant flux, driven by both internal and external forces. All of these are the inherent dynamics of the multiculturally based world per se. In this chapter, beginning with the question ‘why Mesopotamia had the oldest civilization in the world’, the spatial interaction of ancient civilizations is assessed; and four non-linear patterns of intercultural dynamics are presented. Our empirical analyses of the four major ancient civilizations (the Mesopotamian, the Egyptian, the Indus, and the Chinese) focus on intercultural influences as well as how they have shaped the spatial dynamics of the world as a whole.
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Notes
- 1.
Historically, the Euphrates derives its name from the Sumarian Buranun, which became Purattum in Akadian, Ufrat in old Persian, Euphrates in Greek and Latin, Furat in Arabic, and Firat in Turkish. The name for the Tigris comes from the Sumerian Idigna, which became Idiglat in Akkadian, Tigra in old Persian, and Tigris to Herodotus (c. 450 BC) and those after him. Modern Turks refer to it as the Dicle, which is also the Arabic name. Cited from Kolars and Mitchell (1991, pp. 4 and 8).
- 2.
One may find evidence to support the close relationship between river flood and the birth of ancient civilizations from Tables 1.1 and 1.2 of Chap. 1.
- 3.
See Appendix A for the current status of the ethnic, linguistic and religious characteristics of the world.
- 4.
For a detailed analysis of the spatial optimality of cultures, see Guo (2009, pp. 41–76).
- 5.
This phase is contemporary to the Early to Middle Bronze Age, to Mesopotamian Ur III, prepalatial Minoan Cretem, and the First Intermediate Egyptian Period.
- 6.
See Chap. 3 for a detailed quantitative analysis of geographical influences on international trade.
- 7.
Cited from an article available at www.harappa.com/har/indus-saraswati.html. Accessed 7 April 2009.
- 8.
Leapfrog is a game in which one player kneels or bends over while the next in line leaps over him or her.
- 9.
Brezis et al. (1993, p. 1219) give a number of conditions under which there will be a leapfrogging process: (i) The difference in wage costs between the leading nation and potential challengers must be large. (ii) The new technology must, when viewed by experienced producers, appear initially unproductive compared with the old one. (iii) Experience in the old technology must not be too useful in the new technology. (iv) The new technology must ultimately offer the possibility of substantial productivity improvement over the old.
- 10.
Cited from Levine (1972, pp. 375–8).
- 11.
- 12.
Based on Dai and Gong (2000) and other sources. Note that intercultural influences within the Yellow River valley can date from as early as the twenty-third century BC, but they soon resulted in the integration of a single culture.
- 13.
Based on www.scaruffi.com/politics/egyptians.html, Toynbee (1961) and Zhao (2001).
- 14.
Based on www.scaruffi.com/politics/indians.html, Toynbee (1961) and Zhao (2001).
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Guo, R. (2012). After Cultures Meet. In: Introduction to Intercultural Economics. SpringerBriefs in Economics. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-29276-7_2
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