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Social structure Mesopotamia and ancient Egypt
Social structure Mesopotamia and ancient Egypt
Mesopotamia and Egypt government
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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. One reason why I think Egypt was more unified, was the gift of the Nile. In my personal opinion people are products of their environment. The Nile, was one element that made living for a large population possible. The laid back atmosphere led the people to come together to create simple, but efficient ways of fertilizing the ground; furthermore, the fertile rich area allowed prosperity in crops and gave everyone piece of mind that they were not going to starve. (text, 73) On the other hand, Mesopotamia’s two rivers the Tigris and Euphrates, required people to create ways of irrigation to make the land more fertile for crops. (text, 59) The overall view of Mesopotamia’s greed arose from the possibility of loosing crops due to the floods. (text, 59) In other words, the land did not provide a great guara... ... middle of paper ... ...king also had to meet the needs of the poor and disadvantaged. (text, 113) The king was directly with the people, not so much as the gods. (text, 114) In conclusion, it was the shape of the Nile, the promotion for goods, and harmonic style of government, led by pharaoh that formed Egypt into a more politically unified society. For Mesopotamia, it was the unpredictable Tigris and Euphrates, the money hungry tax routes, and the independence of powerful rulers that made Mesopotamia into a place where being politically divided could threaten the existence of society. Even though both states shared a common goal to overcome the hardships in running a state, it was the people from both states that determined the unity of their state. I think the catchphrase, “United we stand, divided we fall,” is the thing for a society to remember in order to be more unified.
Ancient Mesopotamia and ancient Egypt both emerged approximately around the same period (4000-3500 BCE). Many of their human developments, scientific accomplishments and philosophies contribute greatly to today’s modern world. Organized religion was first seen in those ancient civilizations. The religious systems in theses areas are intertwined with political and spiritual elements as well as a major influence on the cultural behaviors of the civilizations. In such governments, gods and goddesses are seen as the supreme religious and civic leaders. . The priestly class and divine kings would carry out their deity’s will, in ancient Mesopotamia and in Egypt, religion and government was designed as one. The Egyptians believed that they were the divine nation and their
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.
There are many similarities between the four civilizations Egypt, Mesopotamia, Indus Valley, and Ancient China. One of the similarities is that all of these civilizations were located near rivers. These rivers were essential for surviving. The rivers would provide not only fresh water, but the rivers would flood and bring fresh soil for crops. Egypt used the Nile River. Mesopotamia used the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. Indus Valley used the Indus River. Ancient China used the Yellow and the Yangzi Rivers. Another similarity is that all the civilizations believed in multiple gods. Religion played a big role in developing these civilizations. In these civilizations there was a hierarchy in which religious people were in charge. In Egypt, there
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.
One of the ways that the Nile shaped Egypt was through economy. According to document A, the Nile’s location was perfect for trade and interaction with other nearby ancient civilizations such as Mesopotamia and the Indus
Ancient Mesopotamian and Egyptian civilizations would not be as successful as they were without living by the Tigris, Euphrates, and Nile rivers. Rivers shaped the development of civilization in ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia by how they utilized the floods, what they traded, their views on religion, and controlling the rivers.
In the first civilization, both Mesopotamia and Egypt relied on a hunter-gatherer economic system, during that time, every country in the world strived on it. Mesopotamia had rich soil for agriculture, but experiences floods. For the Mesopotamians, these floods would destroy major cities, but for the Egyptians it would keep the soil rich all year long without the damage that the Mesopotamians had experienced. With the rich soil foods were plentiful around the farm lands, which gave both countries the chance to establish largely dense areas, like what we now know as a city-state. The Nile River also served as a defense for the Egyptians they enjoyed centuries of tranquility and peace in which they used to develop peaceful development of their civilization. For the Mesopotamians, this wasn’t the case.
These two civilizations have many differences, but they also have some similarities. For example, The Mesopotamia was one of the first civilizations discovered along the Fertile Crescent. As well as the Mesopotamia was one of the first civilizations to be discovered, so was The Nile River Valley.
Ancient Mesopotamia, Ancient Egypt, and Greece were all historical civilizations that made history the way it is today. The three civilizations differed in many different ways, but they were also quite similar in other aspects. The focus of survival, beliefs, daily life, and many other focuses connect the three civilizations.
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.
Egypt and Mesopotamia were two of the world’s earliest city-based civilizations, creating the basis for Middle Eastern and Western history. Both Egyptian and Mesopotamian civilizations existed on the banks of major rivers. While Egyptian civilization thrived along the Nile, Mesopotamia settled between the Tigris and the Euphrates. Although they shared this characteristic, it was also the cause of many of their differences in political systems, religions, and social stability.
Although the kings of both lands were closely tied to religious institutions they had very different responsibilities to their people because of the culture of their location. The major point that differentiates Mesopotamia and Egypt is their location. The fact that Egypt was located in the most productive area of ancient times caused Egyptian pharaohs to focus more on their internal concerns, rather than gain new territories. The idea of Ma’at played a big role in the way of the pharaohs ruling over Egypt. Instead of expanding, they were more worried about having harmony and peace within the people, and keeping the balance of ma’at.
Both societies had started out in the same way, as city-states. A city-state is a city that with its surrounding territory forms an independent state. The creators of Mesopotamian society were the Sumerians; around 3000B.C.E. they had established a number of independent cities in southern Mesopotamia (Spielvogel 7). In 750 B.C.E. the Greek society began to bombard, and it all started with the polis, or city-state (Spielvogel 60).