Egypt And Mesopotamia

The majority of ancient Egyptian structures studied by architectural historians and planners alike, were erected to honor a pharaoh or as a grand tomb for their journey through to the afterlife. Whether the structure was in the form of a temple, tomb or statue, the ritual and spiritual influence is unquestionable. The location, scale, and materials used to construct these monuments are all defining factors of how the space is used and functions.

Over the years the Egyptians had more experience than the Mesopotamians, because the Egyptians had more ideas for making new things. In Ancient Egypt the Egyptians had built pyramid structures and in the Ancient Middle East the Mesopotamians had built ziggurat structures. The Egyptians and the Mesopotamians had most things in common, but they mostly have a lot of differences. The Mesopotamians were the first to develop tools during that time, but over the years the Egyptians had also developed tools but it was real science technology. Another thing is that when it came to women’s rights in Ancient Middle East all the women were owned by their husbands, and in Ancient Egypt the people worshiped women and there was even a woman ruler. Even though Ancient Middle East and Ancient Egypt share written language and both heavily relied on the Nile, Tigris, and Euphrates, rivers the difference between Ancient Middle East and Ancient Egypt is that they both had an opposite view of the afterlife.

The history of ancient Egypt is divided into three blocks of time referred to as kingdoms. The kingdoms were named as the Old Kingdom, the Middle Kingdom, and the New Kingdom. This essay highlights the differences among the three kingdoms in terms of politics, economics, sculpture, and architecture.

Mesopotamia and Egypt were very different because of their geography and world view. Mesopotamia was often flooded because of their bad geography, but the land around the Nile river was built well so the Egyptians didn 't have to worry about the river flooding as often. The land in Mesopotamia was often attacked and invaded. Ultimately the geography of Egypt was significantly better than Mesopotamia because of the benefits of the nile river created a positive world view, a strong government and a universal religion.

     Paralleling the pyramids in Egypt were the ziggurats of Mesopotamia. Mesopotamia (meaning between two rivers, the Tigress and Euphrates) began making these structures around roughly 2000 BC. They were made of bricks that they produced on the building’s work site. There were sun-dried bricks to make up the solid inside of the ziggurat, and there were kiln fired bricks that made up the structures façade. These bricks were much smaller than the stones used in Egypt and also did not have to be brought from far away. Some of the ziggurats were built on top of older ones. Like Egyptian pyramids, the ziggurat was believed to be a kind of gateway between heaven and earth, but unlike the pyramids, the ziggurats where not tombs for kings. Rather they were believed to be the earthly homes of gods. Egyptians built their massive structures outside of major populated areas. But the ziggurats were in prominent areas. Cities had their own patron god or goddess (some places even had two ziggurats, one for a god of both sexes) and priests were the only ones allowed into these temples. They had the honor of catering to the needs of the gods and were powerful figures in their respective communities. Mesopotamians also built the Tower of Babel, which was supposed to have been built as bridge from earth to heaven. It was most likely located in Neo-Babylonia (home of the Hanging Gardens) and was also one of

The achievements of ancient Mesopotamia, Egypt, and the Indus Valley included technological advancements and increased government direction and organization. These civilizations had lasting impacts on humanity by being the building blocks for later societies’ structures, both architectural and legal. One of the accomplishments of the three aforementioned ancient societies was the increased development of technology. In southern Mesopotamia, the technological innovations were majorly centered around the building of cities. Document 1 states that “... they used mud bricks to build walled cities, temples, and palaces.

Egypt and Mesopotamia were successful civilizations because they were able to adapt to their harsh surroundings because of the influence of their powerful leaders. This is first example of this when it mentions that their only building tool was mudbrick due to their lack of resources(document 1). They were able to brilliantly adapt to their surroundings and were able to invent things like the arch and the dome out of hardened mud. Mud brick was also used to create the ziggurat(document 7). Mud brick was their only resource because they were so isolated from everything else. They also could really only inhabit the euphrates river because the Tigris river would flood a lot, so that’s why all of the cities are on the Euphrates (document 2).

Arts and Architecture filled the land of Mesopotamia and ancient Egypt. Mainly using sun dried materials, they built cities. Buildings and structures were constructed near water sources for farming and other purposes. Both civilizations also created great pyramids to honor their fallen kings.

The pyramids of Giza are perhaps even more well known than the Egyptian's hieroglyphics. These wondrous structures are thought to be based around the culture of the dead. A paragraph from Emmet John's The Pyramid Age describes these structures as such; “.. from the point of view of orthodox chronology, are the mastaba-tombs [pyramids] replaced. Similar to those used in Egypt.. they were a preferred type of funerary structure..” ( Emmet John 45). Mastaba's are flat roofed structures with sloping sides and are used as tombs within Ancient Egyptian. They were also the final resting place for most Egyptian people, and pyramids were used mainly for the wealthy or those that had some significance within the Egyptian culture. Pyramids are mastabas stacked onto one another, getting smaller as they reach the top. People have thought that the main reason for pyramids was simply

Empires worth studying accomplish pronounced achievements then inevitably crumble. “Cyclical Empires” as they are called occur copiously in the cradle of civilization—namely the areas in and around Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia—each one leaving a distinct mark on History. Egypt in itself left numerous lacerations in history and was the birthplace of recorded history. Lasting roughly 1,700 years between circa 3,000 BCE and 1,300 BCE, Egypt created a civilization the still baffles historians, scientists, and archeologists. The prime archeological bafflement is the Pyramids. Each one was erected in such intricate ways that post-dates the advancements of the time. Built simply by man power, the pyramids—which were built hundreds of thousands of

This research is on the Ancient Egyptian Culture. Ancient Egypt was located in Northeastern Africa along the Nile River. Egypt was divided into Upper and Lower Egypt from 5000 to 2950 BC; the unification of Egypt was around 3000 BC. Ancient Egypt was around until about 50 BC. The Egyptians are known for many accomplishments; they include: their complex irrigation system, hieroglyphics, and the practice of medicine, the calendar, their art, and the construction of the pyramids. The pyramids were built as monuments to honor the dead. There are many mysteries concerning the construction of the pyramids. This research will be directed towards the Great Pyramids at Giza. The pyramids are a very interesting subject matter because they are gigantic structures that were constructed by only the minds of early architects and the hands of many workers. This research will cover the ideas of how these Great Pyramids were constructed.

The Great Pyramid of Giza is also recognized as the Pyramid of Khufu, Khufu's Pyramid and Pyramid of Cheops. It is the most significant and earliest structure in the world. This pyramid is the oldest of the three pyramids standing on the Giza Necropolis. It is also the largest of them all (Larry, 2000). This great pyramid is located on the northern edge of the Giza Plateau, which is 25 km outskirts, southwest of Cairo, Egypt. It is the only remaining standing monument of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World (Crystalink, 2011). It is said that the pyramid was built as the tomb for the Fourth Dynasty Egyptian King Khufu (known in Greek as Cheops).

The architecture of ancient Egypt is one of the most significant civilizations throughout history, which developed of different structures and great architectural monuments along the River Nile.

In the deserts of Egypt lie the colossal remains of an ancient civilization. These enormous works of human endeavor are the only member of the Seven Ancient Wonders of the World that time has passed down to us. These are, of course, the great pyramids of ancient Egypt. But these imposing structures were not built to impress civilization millennia down the road. The pyramids in fact had a purpose to the ancient Egyptians. While they seem very simple in nature, as they are simply four-sided pyramids with square bases, they had a meaning for those that had them built. Even by today’s standards, the pyramids of ancient Egypt were an impressive feat of engineering, due to their enormous size, both in building materials and finished product.

Ancient Egyptian architecture had a number of well known generic building types (pyramids, mortuary temples and so on). Select one building and discuss is background and architectural characteristics, relating it where necessary to other examples.