Did living in the Tropics and Equatorial region make the ancient civilizations not grow as well (technological, economical) compared to civilizations who lived in seasoned regions?

by musicmast

I am mostly referring to the civilizations in South Asia. I couldn't find anything about this on the FAQs and on google. I was just wondering if being in the Tropics and Equatorial regions made the ancient civilization feel "safe" and not wanting to go out of their region.

arul20

Certainly they were less "nomadic" because of having fertile lands.

Nomadic tribes in harsh terrains on the other hand became more warlike in order to secure better food supply - Vikings, Genghis Khan, Attila the Hun etc.

However it's not true that South Asia did not have empire ambitions. Check out Raja Raja Cholan. This Tamil king from South India conquered vast terroritories eastwards in South East Asia, controlled a huge navy that suppressed piracy in the region, built architectural wonders that are still not easily replicable.