INFLUENCES OF ENVIRONMENT 151 



is a steady carrying out of a routine which never changes 

 and requires rather brawn than brain. This we find 

 admirably reflected in the character of the peasantry, 

 now, as in antiquity, interested only in the securing of 

 enough food to live and to marry upon. But this did 

 not seriously modify the character of the ruling class 

 for, from pre-dynastic times, they have always been 

 foreigners. Accordingly, their character has always 

 been that formed in other countries. Only one effect 

 should be noted. Just because they did not adjust them- 

 selves to the climate, they became enervated and finally 

 were killed off. In other words, the climate has only a 

 negative effect on the men who have made Egyptian cul- 

 ture worthy of our study." 3G 



Natural conditions in the Nile valley permitted the 

 congregation of a large population in a small area and 

 thereby made possible the development of a high civiliza- 

 tion. For the closer the contact between men, the more 

 intimate the intercourse, and the less the likelihood of 

 losing the fruits of collective experience. Competition 

 of many individuals sharpens wits and raises the activ- 

 ity of human powers. The maintenance of steady in- 

 crease of population seems to be intimately connected 

 with the development of culture. 37 Sparsely populated 

 areas have a low type of civilization. In all centers of 

 civilization, whether old or new, we find dense popula- 

 tions. If the topography of a region limits the possi- 

 bilities of intercourse and renders large permanent 

 assemblies of men impossible there is slight chance for 

 the development of an enduring culture. 



36 Olmstead, A. T. "Climate and History," Journal of Geography, vol. x, 

 pp. 163-168. 



37 Ratzel, F. History of Mankind, vol. i, pp. 10-12. 



