Sharon P. answered • 07/17/19
PhD. in Anthropology, 18 years’ experience Educator, Patient
Yes, most prehistory settlements and/or migrations were always toward the water which was and is the most valuable resource for human survival. Archaeological theories postulate that early settlements had to be within half days walk and why settlements developed and continued to grow (https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-seeds-of-civilization-78015429/).
We should look at some key archaeological finds related to human development. The order below is not important, follow the dates.
1. The Earliest H. sapiens discovery was at Klasies River Mouth, 120-80 kya
2. About a century ago, archaeologists did, indeed, unearth an elaborate settlement site north of the Yellow River’s lower reaches, occupied from about 1250-1050 B.C.; they found there the earliest known written records of China. Inscribed on ox bones (retrieved January 7, 2015, from http://www.indiana.edu/~e232/02-Shang.pdf).
3. By 1000 AD, the Indian community in and around Cahokia Mounds was exhibiting a host of characteristics, which was later to become common among Indian societies along the major river drainages throughout the Midwest. Not surprisingly this has been termed the Mississippian culture (Peniston, 2015 and retrieved on January 7, 2015, from http://cahokiamounds.org/learn/).
4. Moundville, Black Warrior River in Alabama. Second largest ceremonial center in the US. Mississippian culture chiefdom polity between the 11th and 16th centuries (https://oar.museums.ua.edu/services/)
