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Comparing early religion in Mesopotamia and Egypt
Comparing early religion in Mesopotamia and Egypt
Similarities differences between Mesopotamian and Egyptian civilizations
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Civilizations all over the world have come up with their own religions, beliefs, meaning of life, and generational traditions that are held in the highest regards. Many of which are diverse from each other and unique to each civilization. For example, the Egyptians and Mesopotamians have their own perspectives of how they believe life should be accomplished and carried out. In ancient Egypt there were less than two million people, whereas in Mesopotamia there were roughly sixty thousand people. The population difference could affect how each culture developed its own lifestyle. The varying and diverse cultures of the Egyptians and Mesopotamians is prominent through major differences in religious values, traditions, and beliefs.
After analyzing
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The book basically goes on to say that one should be kind to their neighbors, never steal, stay pure, and not sin against mankind. The Egyptians also believed in Gods, because in their "Book of the Dead" the author says, "I have not turned off cattle from the property of the gods" , which means he has not tried to move cattle away from whom they belong to. In a way the Egyptians beliefs were similar to Christian beliefs. If you compare the "Book of the Dead" and the "Ten Commandments" of the bible, you can see that they are pretty much the same.
The Egyptians praised women and made them their leaders. In the Egyptian culture women leaders were considered Pharaohs, which were comparable to kings and queens. Unlike other civilizations where women were seen as unworthy and uneducated. Egyptians also worshipped their Pharaohs after death like they were a god. For example, document 3.3 "The Afterlife of a Pharaoh explains the royal tombs Egyptians provided for their King Teti." Which explains the ritual they worshipped for the dead. If you were to visit Egypt today, you could still see the pyramids they built for their
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Egyptians worshipped their pharaohs as gods, they also buried their pharaoh "gods" in their own temples and mummified their dead bodies. As for the Mesopotamians, they made figurines to pray for them while they did other things and their seven Mesopotamian gods represented elements. Mesopotamia's geography setting also put their religion in a bind. The Mesopotamians often times had a "precarious, unpredictable, and often violent environment" , which caused them to blame their gods for causing many tragedies. Whereas the Egyptians were surrounded by "deserts, mountains, seas and cataracts" , which helped create "free
I can infer that the Egyptians and the Mesopotamians were similar in the way that they had a written language, both of them were polytheistic, and they both built pyramid type things. The differences between the Egyptians and the Mesopotamians were their different views on what happens to you in the afterlife and how to bury people after they die.
The funerary rituals introduced by the Egyptians were the most intricate, spiritual rites in their times and, perhaps, even to this day. Their elaborate customs, tombs, and gifts to the dead were representative of their pious, devoted nature. Albeit not all were as imposing as the oldest and still remaining Seven Wonder of the World, the Pyramids of Giza, all were meaningful and sacred. The Egyptians, highly reverent of their dead, adopted ornate, religious burial practices to fit to every member of their society.
Religion was a major part of Ancient Egyptians’ lives. Their faith was so engrained in them that it was more of a lifestyle than a set of beliefs. The Egyptians practiced polytheism, or the worship of many gods, and they believed that their pharaoh was a god on Earth (Doc 3). The people worshipped the pharaoh and gave him all respect and power. They believed that their two main goals in life were to keep the pharaoh and the other gods happy and to live a good life so that they may enjoy a happy life after death. Their shared faith strengthened their society because everyone was working toward the same goal. Groups were not divided based on what god they worshipped. Instead, the fact that every person lived to please the same gods and wished to go to the same afterlife gave them something in common and brought them together as a community. Sumerians also practiced polytheism and believed that their priests were connected to the gods. The people thought it was their responsibility to keep the gods happy, and believed that if the gods were pleased, they would allow their people to be content as well (Doc 6). Because of their desire to please the gods, Sumerians performed every task to the best of their ability. For example, they invested lots of time and money into their ziggurats, or temples, because they only wanted to give their best to the gods. The Sumerians’ devotion to every task ensured that everything was done well and helped their civilization
Religion, an inseparable part of civilization, influenced people a lot. Both Egyptians and Olmecs were polytheistic, so in general they were quite similar. They had various gods and respected to them. The pharaohs and shamans were regarded as incarnation of gads, or they can intervene with supernatural world. Also people will had ceremonies for different purposes.
The Egyptians thought that there was one god that ruled over a different part of their life. For example, in Document 5 it shows a picture of, “An Egyptian carving showing the Pharaoh Seti making an offering to Osiris, the god of death, afterlife, and resurrection.” This shows that the Egyptians believed in multiple gods because Osiris was just seem as the god of death, afterlife, and resurrection. They believed in many different gods serving many different purposes and “...the Egyptians do not all worship the same gods, excepting Isis and and Osiris, the latter of whom they say is the Grecian Bacchus.” (Document 7) These multiple gods that were regarded as the ruler of various things were not even believed in by all of Egypt. There were roughly two thousand gods worshiped in Egypt just like the many gods of China. Historians agree that the Chinese believed, much like the Egyptians, that there were many gods, each with their own jobs and responsibilities. Their primary religion was Daoism. Daoism was a philosophy/popular religion that advocates simplicity and understanding of the world of nature, founded by the legendary figure Laozi. Zhuangzi was a Chinese philosopher who spelled out the teachings of Daoism. He told of the many gods associated of Daoism. China also implemented the “Mandate of Heaven” which was a belief Chinese emperors held control over the divine if they ruled morally. This gave emperors
The ancient cultures of Mesopotamia and Egypt developed into successful civilizations. One civilization the Egyptians developed was in the Nile River valley. Based off the "Mesopotamia and Egypt DBQ" packet, "Ancient Egypt was an advanced civilization in many areas including religion, architecture, transportation, and trade. Ancient Mesopotamia was one of the first civilizations that developed a form of government as well as organized people in political states." Based on the documents, Egypt and Mesopotamia developed into successful and advanced civilizations by effectively using the resources that surrounded them to solve problems and live happily.
The Ancient Egypt and Ancient Mesopotamia grew up to be successful civilizations. The surroundings of where they are located assisted them in survival. Although their lifestyles were different, both civilizations became successful in their own ways. Finally, their similar belief was a very helpful guidance when their rulers governed. Without these factors, the two civilizations might not have been
The Egyptian and Mesopotamian religion and society were similar, but their government/leadership was different. Religion in Egypt and Mesopotamia were very similar because both faiths were polytheistic and had priestly authority. Both cultures had powerful priests, both had a belief of an afterlife, and religion was part of their daily lives. Both societies had similar rigid social classes, relied on slavery; both also had a religion which played an important role in their daily lives. Although, their societies were very common, they still had some differences in government. The Egypt, the government was a theocracy, whereas the government in Mesopotamia was run by a monarchy. Despite their similarities, the differences between these two civilizations were most likely a result of unique geographical and topographical conditions.
Of the first civilizations, Mesopotamia and Egypt left behind the most widely available documented look at the past (92). Interestingly enough, the basis for societal rank was comparable between these two civilizations. But despite similarities in social stratification, Mesopotamian and Egyptian civilization had very dissimilar views on life and the afterlife.
In both Egypt and Mesopotamia, they both have ideas about the afterlife. The two have some similarities and differences about the afterlife in which whether they come back as another person, or they come back as another soul, or they go to another world. In Egypt and Mesopotamia there are different meanings of the afterlife through the similarities, difference, and the different civilizations.
In Mesopotamia, The Sumerians believed that gods and goddesses owned the cities, and much wealth was used to build temples as well as elaborate houses for the priests and priestesses who served the gods and supervised the temples and their property (Spielvogel p. 8). The Sumerians believed that their kings were sent by gods and guided by gods. I believe that this is why the Sumerians had such a great amount of respect for their kings because they believed they were sent by a much higher power to rule their societies. On the other hand, in Egypt it’s society believed in an afterlife. Egypt was part of the universal cosmic scheme, and the pharaoh was the divine being whose duty was to preserve Egypt’s place within that divinely ordained cosmic order (Spielvogel p. 19).
Like the Mesopotamians, the Egyptians also believed in god and goddesses and was one of the first to develop their unique writing system called hieroglyphics. Egyptian’s also were the first to construct triangular pyramids with magnificent tombs to bury their dead pharaohs and queens. These pyramids were very comparable to the ziggurats built by the Mesopotamians. The Egyptians unlocked more access when they started using papyrus to make paper in order to communicate. They also inven...
The Mesopotamian people believed in a higher being, like most civilizations have for centuries. Their belief system consisted of many gods, each representing an aspect of Mesopotamian life. From the Epic of Gilgamesh we learn that they believed that the gods are the creators of everything around them. This is seen in this epic with the creation of Enkindu, by the goddess of creation, Aruru. We also can conclude that the god of the heavens, Anu, ruled the gods. The Mesopotamian people also had gods for death, love, and even cattle. The Mesopotamian people used the gods to explain just about every aspect of their life. Their gods were all-powerful, and could grant people godly features. For example, Gilgamesh embarks on a quest for eternal life from the gods when his fear of death becomes a reality with the death of Enkindu.
In conclusion, Ancient Egypt has a very complex religion and beliefs that would be considered bizarre in many parts of the world. They believed in many gods, some took part in the creation of the universe. Others brought the flood every year, offered protection and took care of people after they died. The ancient Egyptians thought that it was important to recognize and worship the gods because they represented the peace and harmony across the land.
... Egyptian women were looked at differently than men; their role was that of the nurturer and the caregiver, the bearer of a family’s future. They were just as important to the society as the men. Ancient Egypt was a very complex world, and just as complex was the role that women played in its society. They were not free, but they also were not enslaved. They were vital, but only in terms of their husbands and their children. Egypt offered women a far more free life than the rest of the ancient world. In the end, women played a secondary role to men putting their desires for achievement aside so their husband could be king.