Early civilization remains permits us to observe how life was lived in earlier times. Until the Neolithic Era humans were fairly nomadic. When they became knowledgeable of farming they began to realize that they would not have to be nomadic anymore thus forming civilizations. These early civilizations were typically polytheistic, which means that they believed in many gods. During these civilizations they also learned to tame animals and their technologies grew more and more advanced. Almost all early civilizations have failed but they all left a lasting mark that will continue forever. The Nile River Valley Civilization and the Mesopotamia Civilization are both amazing but they both have their differences in their political and social aspects. …show more content…
The first one is the Sumerian civilizations. Sumerian cities began in the south of Mesopotamia. Ruler was dependent upon to make sure that the city walls and irrigation systems were okay. Their government was based heavily on religion. They had created a system of laws which allowed them to keep order in their society. These laws were later called the Hammurabi’s Codes of Laws. The Sumerian cities also had a system of ranks. The ranks are as followed: leading family, priests, scribes, merchants, artisans, and peasant farmers. Majority of the population was made of farmers. As for education, only the royals went to school. Can you imagine only the upper class humans being able to go to school? Next, when the Mesopotamians were first civilizing women were equal to women. Although as time progressed the society became a fairly patriarchal society. Despite the women’s setbacks they still had some political rights. The Sumerians were polytheistic. Not surprising since it was an early civilization huh? They built ziggurats or a pyramid temple that soared towards the heavens. Although they were the first to create them Assyrians and the Babylonians also built them due to cultural diffusion. With these temples they praised their gods and thank them for all they have done. The Sumerians believed in an afterlife. Although they never went to extremes they buried their dead with weapons in case they needed them. The …show more content…
These individual states traded with each other. They would most likely trade things specific to that area. They also had a very multifaceted and planned irrigation system. Last but not least they were all tiny domains that were actually well prearranged. On their own they were fairly solid and had a very organized government. Although they were then all united by King Menes. The citizens were fairly obedient and did what they were told to do by their god, the pharaoh. They felt as if bad things would happen if they went against a god. The government became one hundred percent centralized and they controlled every single last one of the resources in the vast region in which we call the Nile River Valley. Just imagine being a part of this structured civilization. Now the Mesopotamia civilizations were a little different, well a lot. Although they had similarities. They did have slight similarities though. Mesopotamia was made of many independent states. They never became united and stayed this way as to what feels like the end of time. In earlier times this probably seemed like a good idea although later they realize that it is now. This separation made the region tremendously susceptible to attacks. The Mesopotamians apparently never heard the saying there is no I in team! Although, despite all of this separation the region worked together in order to do massive projects which included things like
During the years of 3500 BC to 2500 BC, the geography of a land often impacted a civilizations development in great measures. Depending on the resources available or the detriments present due to certain topographical characteristics like rivers or deserts, a civilization could flourish or collapse. By studying the geographic features of growing societies like the Nile, Euphrates, and Tigris Rivers as well as the Mediterranean Sea of Egypt and Mesopotamia, the link between developing cultures and geography will be examined through sources, including Egypt: Ancient Culture, Modern Land edited by Jaromir Malek and Babylon: Mesopotamia and the Birth of Civilization by Paul Kriwaczek. To determine the extent of its influence, this investigation will attempt to compare and contrast the role of geography in ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia, focusing on the civilizations’ various periods of development and settlement.
Egypt and Mesopotamia; two different civilizations that were similar in some ways, as well as different. They had their difference of their geographical location, as well as their different aspects of life. Even though they had their different life aspects, they had also had several similarities between each other.
The ancient civilizations of Mesopotamia and Egypt began to develop circa 3,000 B.C. Located near rivers, the lands offered fertile soil and an excess of crops that drew in many people. As more people arrived, the small settlements flourished into large, thriving civilizations. Many aspects of Mesopotamia and Egypt, such as their cities, their strongly organized government, and their religion, greatly contributed to the success of these two civilizations.
What similarities and differences did Egypt and Mesopotamia have and why was Egypt more politically unified than its neighbor, Mesopotamia? I think in order to answer these questions it is important to look at how both societies lived. Egypt and Mesopotamia were two civilizations existing during the time period of 2000-1200 BCE.(text, 97) These civilizations were shaped by their environment, involved with trade, and faced changes in government after the 100 year drought; however, they differed in that Egypt was shaped by the Nile, traded goods for goods and changed their outlook on the pharaoh who was ruler of all; whereas, Mesopotamia was shaped by the Tigris and Euphrates, traded money for goods, and had a ruler over rulers. The governed harmonic life style of Egypt led this society to be more politically unified; whereas, Mesopotamia’s government led to many different ways of structure, thus creating a less unified society.
A group called the Sumerians dominated majority of Mesopotamia and left their legacy on the land. They created writing, built monuments, and developed a social structure. They established how the economy and how the government works. There was independent city-state, and each state had its own king. In these times, the people were very focused on religion and so in the center of every town was a temple dedicated to the chief god/goddess of the city.
Advanced cities/population centers are important to civilization, because it enables civic establishments to form. This allows for trade/bargaining, new ideas, etc to be shared. For example, Egyptian merchants traded goods with people from Mesopotamia, by using the Nile River. The second important characteristic of a civilization is skilled/specialized workers. Having skilled workers is important, because there are specific jobs and needs that must be addressed for a civilization to grow. Some examples of skilled/specialized workers are merchants, priests, farmers, etc. For example, there were artisans who were good at architecture, and helped in the building of the pyramids, in Egypt. There were scribes, who were the only people who knew how to write, so they wrote laws and kept records of pharaohs, laws, and everyday life. The third important characteristic of civilization is record keeping. This is important, because all societies must keep track of many things, such as population, growth, weather, historical events, etc. An example of this would be, how the Egyptians kept a record of the when the Nile River would flood, thus allowing for them to keep track of when a profitable time to plant/harvest was, due to mot of Egypt being mostly surrounded by
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 Egyptian and Mesopotamian religion and society were similar, but their government system was different. The religions in Egypt and Mesopotamia were similar because both were polytheistic, had beliefs of an afterlife, as well as priests who were part of the upper levels of the social hierarchy. Social similarities between Egypt and Mesopotamia included: rigid social structure, dependence on slavery, and authoritative religious structure. However, the system of government was different because Egyptian society was governed by a theocratic monarchy, while Mesopotamia was ruled by a traditional monarchy.
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.
Rivers are more than just a large natural canal of water; they were the foundation of early civilization. Looking back in history there is one primary common theme in the first civilizations: they neighbored rivers. These civilizations settled in the valleys next to large flowing rivers due to the advantages and conveniences. These rivers provided civilians with water, not just for drinking, but also for farming – provided both water and fertile soil – and means of travel/trade. However, rivers weren’t these civilizations’ only similarities, and whilst they are very comparable, there were also many differences.
The Mesopotamian geography affected their society because Mesopotamia was located on an open plain without protection from foreign intrusions. Egypt, on the other hand, was centered on the Nile River ad protected by natural boundaries. This allowed Egypt?s kingdom for prosper and last for thousands of years. Mesopotamia was not considered a nation or country, it was considered a region between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers that established a number of highly organized city-states. Since each city-state was independent there was no capital of Mesopotamia.
All civilizations require advanced cities, complex institutions, record keeping, specialized workers, and advanced technology. Mesopotamia and the Indus River Valley were two of the earliest civilizations that had all five of these qualities. Mesopotamia or “the land between two rivers” was between the two major rivers, Tigris and Euphrates, and is now modern day Iraq. Mesopotamia was founded around 3500 B.C, although people started settling there around 4500 B.C. The Indus River Valley was between the Ganges rivers and the north-western area of what is now India and Pakistan. Although, geography is only one similarity between the two civilizations, they also had many similar political, social, and economic qualities.
For thousands of years, our ancestor's from around the world have developed and eventually formed civilizations. A civilization is a community that consists of states, nations, and empires. One of the first ancient civilization was Ancient Mesopotamia, it had actually formed as what we know today as northeastern Egypt, in the Fertile Crescent. Ancient Civilization such as Ancient Egypt, Ancient Greece, Ancient Rome, and etc. has various contributions to the modern world as it contributes to numerous things still relevant today such as tools, science, and mathematic.
Mesopotamia was one of the first civilizations to have social organization. Sumer was one of the first city states in Mesopotamia. At the top of the social pyramid was the king, who was thought to be chosen by the gods. Then came the religious figures, scribes and merchants, artists and craftsmen, and at the bottom, workers, soldiers, farmers, and slaves. This can be seen on the Standard of Ur. Standard of Ur was found in 1922 and is 4,500 years old. It is theorized to be a standard or the sound box of a musical instrument. There are two sides; one represents “War” and the other “Peace”. One these sides, we can see their social organization based on the size and order of the people. The king is bigger and at the top and center; poorer, skinner people are on the left. Sumer had many succes...
For thousands of years, people all over the world have developed, progressed, and eventually formed civilizations. A civilization is a community characterized by elements such as a system of writing, a development of social classes, and cities. Early civilizations such as ancient Greece, classical Rome, Mesopotamia, and classical China have made many contributions to society that still affect people in the modern world. The inventions, progress, and contributions of the people of these ancient civilizations and others have shaped the world that we all live in today.