The first civilizations emerged in the third millennium BC along the Euphrates, Tigris, Nile and Indus, and a little later along the Yellow. Much later another momentous turning point in human history occurred along the rivers and streams of northern England which powered the early industrial factories. Rivers, and the rich variety of plants and animals which they sustain, provide hunter-gatherer societies with water for drinking and washing, and with food, drugs and medicines, dyes, fibres and wood. Farmers reap the same benefits as well as, where needed, irrigation for their crops. For pastoral societies, who graze their herds over wide areas of often parched plains and mountains, perennial vegetation along the banks of rivers provides life-sustaining food and fodder during dry seasons and droughts.
Rivers also serve as roadways for commerce, exploration and conquest.
The role of rivers as the sustainers of life and fertility is reflected in the myths and beliefs of a multitude of cultures. The Thai word for river, mae nan , translates literally as 'water mother'. Rivers have often been linked with divinities, especially female ones. In Ancient Egypt, the floods of the Nile were considered the tears of the goddess Isis. Ireland's River Boyne, which is overlooked by the island's most impressive prehistoric burial sites, was worshipped as a goddess by Celtic tribes.