Egypt And Mesopotamia Comparison Essay

In the Foundations Era, the Egyptians and Mesopotamians thrived as civilizations in their respective river valley locations. Although both Egypt and Mesopotamia made use of a trade system to gain goods and luxuries, the fact that Egypt was self-sufficient and was able to trade for luxuries such as gold and ivory, they bypassed the Mesopotamians who relied on necessary trades such as resources and food in order to suffice. This was a key role in determining that Egypt was more complex than Mesopotamia.

Many key features determined the similarities and differences of Mesopotamia and Egypt, but geography had the biggest role. Both Egypt and Mesopotamia were founded near river valleys. The Nile served the Egyptians, and the Tigris and Euphrates

The religion aspect of the two civilizations were quite similar in a few ways. The Mesopotamians and Egyptians equally had a polytheistic view of religion. Mesopotamia and Egypt both had multiple deities to help explain how the world works. Egyptians believed in gods such as Ra, Isis, and Horus. Mesopotamia also had their gods like Adad and Ashur to represent natural occurrences such as the sun. These similarities played a role in their way of life, values and their government as well. Despite similar polytheistic views, the two differed in a more detailed aspect. While Egypt had Pharaohs, who were viewed as gods to the Egyptians, and were the figure of law in the land. Mesopotamians had leaders who represented demi-gods, or not a full god. This difference directly affected the way Egyptians and Mesopotamians viewed the afterlife. The Egyptians had a complex view of the afterlife, where they detailed the process of mummification and the process of transitioning to the afterlife. The Mesopotamians, on the other hand, viewed the afterlife as a simple, deep, and eternal