Throughout ancient history, one can find many different examples of civilization, each with different geography, political systems, and cultures. Although many of these empires were prominent and influential, one could argue that the two most contrasting, impactful civilizations were perhaps Egypt and Mesopotamia. These two empires had entirely different circumstances in terms of the land they were erected on, the peoples both in the land and surrounding it, and the social customs that developed. However, in spite of the wildly differing conditions, both Egypt and Mesopotamia were able to develop in such a way that the two cultures were both in a position to leave behind impactful legacies that still influence the world today. Before one considers how Egypt and Mesopotamia differ socially and politically, one must first understand the different geographies that drove …show more content…
This is not meant to imply that the two were so radically different that it is difficult to find similar physical features between the two, because it is not. In fact, both of them owe their existence to the same aquatic feature that has spawned many empires. Mesopotamia, also known as “the land between the rivers”, was located between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, which were crucial to farmers, traders, and everyday citizens. In Egypt, it was the Nile River that filled this life-sustaining role. This, however, is where the similarities seem to cease. In Egypt, the Nile was more often than not a benevolent force, one that helped farmers grow their crops, and delivered a water supply to the valley. It was dependable, and seen as safe. In contrast, the Mesopotamians
Egypt and Mesopotamia have both similarities and differences, throughout both of these civilizations from back to 3,500 B.C. The political and social structures in these civilizations were different and the same in their own way. The political differences between Egypt and Mesopotamia included hierarchy power, land control, and centralized government. The similarities between both civilizations are social class, male patriarchy, and kings.
The most significant factor that influenced the development of Egypt and Mesopotamia was the difference in location between the two civilizations, which influenced many different aspects of everyday life and culture. Egypt and Mesopotamia were both located next to rivers, but the distinctions between the rivers greatly impacted the two societies. The two civilizations were located in two very different areas geography-wise, which affected the chances of foreign invaders attacking. The location of the two civilizations also affected their religious beliefs.
Egypt and Mesopotamia developed different and similar political and religious civilizations. Mesopotamian civilizations such as the Sumerians, the Akkadian kingdom, the Assyrian empire and the Babylonian city-state, were all too dependent on the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. Egypt’s natural isolation and material self-sufficiency fostered a unique culture that for long periods had relatively little to do with other civilizations. Ancient Egypt was an ancient civilization of eastern North Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in what is now the modern country of Egypt.
With governmental machinery that brought political and social order to their territories, effective political and military power enabled them to build regional empires and expand their authority to neighboring people. Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia were two great civilizations among the earliest to emerge in the Middle east and North Africa. Both made significant contributions in areas such as mathematics, medicine, agriculture, astronomy, technology, architecture, art and writing. They had differences as well, including their political structures. Most importantly is that Egyptians were under a centralized government, and the Mesopotamians had self-controlled city state governments.
Economically, these two civilizations both shared prosperous success in similar manners. One connection between Mesopotamia and Egypt is that they both manipulated their designated rivers to perform critical trade operations by using them as routes. They were able to communicated and send goods with other civilizations in a farther location via the river system. Also, these two civilizations were very productive in the agricultural field due to the strategically created irrigation systems that provided water to their fertile soils to provide lush vegetations in Nile and Sumer. The one difference between Mesopotamia and Egypt in terms of economy is that the Nile government controlled most if not all of the trading monopoly, and they had their citizens pay substantial taxes.
Ancient Egyptian and Mesopotamian agricultural lives were highly differentiated due to their contrasting geographical situations, and also differences in technological processes and developments. Only a small area of Egyptian land (the Delta and Nile Valley) was fertile during the annual inundation of the river Nile. Moreover, harsh natural circumstances created a famine risk for the entire population, thus restricting the freedom to decide for a common citizen. To illustrate, an uneven spillage of the river Nile, when there were insufficient water resources for the agriculture or floods threatening corps, required a unified, or communal, water regulation and distributional system. So, a
Both Mesopotamia and Egypt between 3000 and 600 B.C.E had similarities and differences. Both regions differ in regards to social structure concerning gender roles, social classes, and slavery. However Mesopotamia and Egypt shared similar technological developments in regards to mathematics, astronomy, and writing as well as political structure as it regards to taxes, kingship, and the power of religion.
While describing the cultural among the people of Mesopotamia and Egypt, I learned the differences and similarities in culture. The birth of Mesopotamian Civilization began in c. 3000 B.C.E., in the valleys of the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers of Southwest Asia. Mesopotamia is a Greek word and it means ‘between the rivers.’ In contrast, the birth of Egyptian Civilization began in c. 3100 B.C.E., in a valley of the Nile River in Northeastern Africa. Egypt is a Greek word and it means ‘House of the Spirit of Ptah.’ Since there are several categories in the cultures of the Mesopotamians and the Egyptians, I decided to narrows it to three categories: Religion, Writing, and Geography. The three categories will present the basis to compare cultural differences and similarities.
Society in Mesopotamia and Egypt was similar based on location and economy, but environmental factors made Mesopotamian society less stable than that of Egypt. First, both civilizations depended on the water sources of their respective rivers for agriculture, which was a large part of their economy. Both civilizations had fertile soil from the silt that was deposited by the floods. Second, a lack of natural barriers in Mesopotamia contrasts with the many natural barriers present in Egypt, which made Mesopotamia
Both Mesopotamia and Egypt, between 3000 and 600 B.C.E., had similarities and differences. Both regions shared similar economic structure in regards to agriculture, trade, and taxes. However, Mesopotamia and Egypt differ in regards to religion concerning belief in afterlife, influence of gods, and religious influence on government, as well as technology as it regards weaponry, scientific study, and writing.
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.
Egypt and Mesopotamia have a completely different history and culture due to where they are located. For example Egypt was in between sea and desert, this made it very hard for them to be invaded. Since they didn't have to worry about foreign invasions they were allowed to focus on their political, religious, and cultural life. Mesopotamia was in between two bodies of water. These bodies of water often overflowed and caused catastrophic devastation to villages and cities. They also suffered from severe weather changes from violent hail and rain too long periods of drought. With these conditions together they were easy targets for tribal nomads. These tribal nomads attacked them for their fertile soil, they often ended one civilization and establishing
Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia shared a similar key in its geography, access to a major source of fresh water. Egypt was the Nile and Mesopotamia, was the Tigris and Euphrates, an area commonly referred to as the
In the perspectives of Egyptian and Mesopotamian topography, they're at difference from one another. Egypt lied on the fields of the Nile River and wandered out into the Sahara Desert a modest sum. This had empowered the Egyptians to keep away from intrusions
Both civilizations depended on the waters of a great river system nearby for their success. They used the rivers to their advantage to create irrigation systems to flourish the agriculture practices producing surplus of food. Mesopotamia translates to “land between rivers” which is exactly what it was. It was located between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, which was very unpredictable. These rivers provided for the Sumerians, in southern Mesopotamia to have a surplus of food, which led to the developments of regional manufacturing and trade.