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Differences and similarities between ancient Egypt and ancient Mesopotamia
Differences between ancient societies
Differences and similarities between ancient Egypt and ancient Mesopotamia
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Ever since the Neolithic revolution, humans have thrived via the use of civilization. As the ancients have figured out, two heads are better than one; communication and teamwork has been a source of man’s development ever since we have come to exist. No better example of this exists than the essence of society itself. Civilization included several important factors, which separate it from nomadic life: A form of government, specialized jobs, and social classes. Before organized civilization humans lived in small nomadic hunter-gatherer tribes that simply moved about from place to place following food, or avoiding external conditions. Now, we have cities of varying sizes, and at their core, agriculture. Farming is what initially triggered the …show more content…
Many things we today take for granted would not be possible without the first of civilizations. Two of the oldest civilizations can be found in the regions known as the Nile River Valley and Mesopotamia. These areas bore the largest social structures of their era. Mesopotamia and Ancient Egypt have various similarities and differences within their government, cities, social structure, job specification, and religion. The first and often most important definition of a civilization is its government. Government is what separates a state of nature from a society. The way government is structured; citizens give up some or all of their freedom in exchange for protection organization, and cooperation. The execution of this government varies from culture to culture. In ancient times, before Greeks the most common types of were monarchy where one ruler was appointed total control, or oligarchy/ aristocracy where a small group of people are given control. These ways reserve power for those who are elite and can claim some kind of reason to have power. In ancient Egypt, the rulers were known as pharaohs. A …show more content…
Ancient cities featured many common things we still see today. Often there were residential areas divided by class, the lower class would often be placed near the city’s borders close to the farms they maintained. Middle class citizens were further towards the center giving them access to shops and trade centers where they worked. Upper class lived in the center close to the center of government and religious places of worship. Cities were commonly organized into districts with unique specifications such as arts or central government. This was a product of high organization and convenience, a foundation for all cities to come. Ancient Egyptian cities features large palaces used for their pharaohs, and pyramids to honor them. Due to the Nile, Egyptian cities made farming a priority. Fertile soil was used to grow a surplus of crops and provide for everyone within the city limits. Because a majority of citizens were farmers, a majority of the land was used for farming this ensured a reliable food source. As for ancient Sumerians, they had two rivers as a source of water. However technologies such as irrigation made farming more efficient. Their agricultural society was based heavily on the control of the rivers. Cities were planned around this to include methods of channeling the water. Unlike the Ancient Egyptians, who benefitted from the wealth of
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
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.
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.
The development of cities is essential in the development of a civilization. Egypt’s cities began close to the Nile River. The Nile ran directly through the land and was the main attraction to settlers. It flooded every year, and in doing so, it fertilized the ground and allowed the growth
Ancient Egypt was a complex civilization because it had all of the important civilization indicators, Every complex society has a government the Government In Ancient Egypt the king was known as the pharaoh. The pharaoh was the most powerful person in Egypt what the pharaoh did was he made the laws, Collected taxes, and he was the political leader. The pharaoh was called the Lord of Two lands because he was the ruler of Upper and Lowers Egypt since he was the king he owned all the land in Egypt. The government was a well respected and organized government. Ancient Egypt could not achieve much without all the levels cooperating together.
The first civilization to rise was the Mesopotamia, located in present day Iraq, between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers, and Egypt, along the Nile River. It’s split in two ecological zones. In the south Babylonia (irrigation is vital) and north Assyria (agriculture is possible with rainfall and wells). By 4000 B.C.E., people had settled in large numbers in the river-watered lowlands of Mesopotamia and Egypt. Archaeologists have shown that large-scale irrigation appeared only long after urban civilization had already developed, meaning major waterworks were a consequence of urbanism (population). Mesopotamia cities were made of people called the Summerians in the land of Sumer located on the south of Babylonia. The Summerian city was one of
The central government is a critical part of civilization. The government in Egypt was quite similar to the Olmec government, except Egyptian was more complex. In Egypt, the central government was called bureaucracy, an administrative organization which consisted of many governors. Pharaoh, the king in Egypt, had the highest position, controlling the other people in the government bureaucracy. The rulers in Egypt were regarded as the
The basic structures and social constructs that outline what a civilization is made up of are a dense population group, a minimizing of hunter of hunter/gather habits in favor of farming and trading habits, political, administrative, and religious centers, as well as some form of notation, usually seen in writing or a number system (Smiley 2015). In addition, city-states and territorial-states are civilizations with some key differences. City-states encompass a large variety of social stratification from political
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.
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.
Approximately 5500 years ago four of the worlds' most prestigious ancient river civilizations had emerged. Our world has been left in astonishment and awe wondering how these civilizations were developed. Egypt and Mesopotamia were the first ancient river civilizations to create cities and their own ways of living. Society, geography, and religion played an enormous role in the development of the ancient cities. Although there is evidence of early Sumerian contact with the Egyptians, Egypt's civilization was largely self-generated and its history and cultural patterns differed from Mesopotamia.
The world's first civilizations started in major rivers in Mesopotamia, on the Tigris-Euphrates valley in the Middle East, in the Nile River in Egypt, and other regions. A council of elders often ruled civilizations and more powerful governments arose that oversees large-scale projects that benefited the people. Centralized governments coordinate amounts of food that fed its citizens and projects that regulate flood control that channel water that is needed to water crops and prevent flooding. Civilizations relied on officials to help the government collect taxes as governing citizens by issuing laws, and organizing systems of defense in times of
The Greeks and the Romans, two completely different civilizations and yet so similar. They both had their different customs and traditions and may have been years apart, but they are the same, or as the same two different people can be. Both had the ability for greatness, and both were able to create a far reaching empire full of many different types of people.
Cities are the central feature of a civilization. The first cities emerged shortly after farmers began cultivating fertile lands along river valleys and producing surplus foods. These surpluses allowed the population to expand. As population grew, some villages expanded into cities. These cities rose independently in the valleys of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.