During the period from 2700 B.C.E to 1000 B.C.E., the civilizations of Mesopotamia and Egypt shared many similarities. Both have kingships, farming and agriculture, technology and metallurgy, grain storage, and a system of hierarchy that included slavery. Although they are quite similar, they show differences as well, including their perspective of the afterlife and the fact that Mesopotamia experienced conquests while documents showed Egypt as a conqueror. Since Mesopotamia was divided into city-states, they were controlled by powerful rulers. Kingship began in Mesopotamia in about 2300 B.C.E. Some of the rulers referred themselves as more than a human being, somewhat like a god. Kings claimed to rule with the approval of the gods, …show more content…
However, they have differences. In Mesopotamia, the Sumerians developed the first wheel, and then later develop wheeled vehicles. Another technology made by Mesopotamian is the plow. The plow helped farmers to break down the hard clay soil and increase food production. In Egypt, Egyptians build cataracts to control the water of the Nile River. Cataracts help Egyptians to prevent invasions from outside forces. Another invention Egyptians made is wooden sleds. Wooden sleds provide slaves an easier way to move heavy stones to the designated construction. Metallurgy both occur in Mesopotamia and Egypt. In Document two, an author describes a city-state named Agade as city of metal—gold, copper, silver, and bronze. It exemplifies that Mesopotamians used metal in their daily lives. Bronze was used to make stronger tools in Mesopotamia and Egyptians used gold to make beautiful objects and etc. The population in Egypt began to expand, which led to the development of hierarchy. Egyptians believed that a well-ordered society would keep their strong civilization. High priests had a high status in the Egyptian society. They were after the pharaoh. Then merchants and government had the third highest status. In Document five, Egyptian government officials are required years of practice to become one. After merchants and government officials, scribes and craftspeople had the next highest status. At last, farmers and slaves were bottom of the scale. They made up the vast majority of the population. Likewise, Mesopotamia’s high priests have the second highest status after the ruler. Considering gender, men and women held different roles. In Mesopotamia, men held all the political jobs, while the women care for the household and children. In Egypt, pharaohs and their queens held power. Women held important positions such as marriage forged
The first civilizations and the rise of empires began with small groups or villages existing with the use of hunting, fishing, and foraging. (William J. Duiker and Jackson J. Spielvogel, World History, vol. 1, 1) Within a few thousand years, people learned how to cultivate food crops and this led to an increase in population. Increased food production resulted in larger communities. The cities began to expand their cultural and religious developments leading to the beginnings of civilization. (Duiker, World History, 1) The first civilizations emerged in Mesopotamia and Egypt during the fourth and third millennia B.C.E and had various components in common. Each of these civilizations was established in a river valley so they were able to provide and produce the agricultural resources needed to survive and uphold the population. (Duiker, World History, 1) Mesopotamia developed in the valley between the Tigris and Euphrates River known as “the land between the rivers.” These rivers provided irregular and catastrophic flooding for the city-state. They created an intensive irrigation system to improve their agriculture. The first people to create Mesopotamian civilization were known as the Sumerians. These people were the first city builders and created the major city’s named Eridu, Ur, Uruk, Umma, and Lagash. These cities were built with surrounding walls and defense towers. A six-mile-long wall enclosed the city of Uruk. Mesopotamia lacked
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
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.
Johana Gutierrez AP World History Mr. Rosentel 8 September 2016 In both Ancient Mesopotamia and Egypt, civilizations were ruled by a monarchy, which meant the governments had control over their people. While in Egyptian civilizations the women of higher class received respect and power, the women in Ancient Mesopotamian civilizations did not get the same respect and faced gender inequality. Ancient Mesopotamia and Egypt civilizations were ruled by monarchy.
Egypt developed around the Nile River, while Mesopotamia developed between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. Egypt and Mesopotamia grew into complex civilizations. Politically, both Egypt and Mesopotamia had a government with one main ruler, but Egypt had a centralized government with a pharaoh, while Mesopotamia had a decentralized government with a king. Socially, both civilizations were patriarchal, but Egypt was more lenient towards women while Mesopotamia was stricter. The political and social structures of Egypt and Mesopotamia both similarities and differences.
Mesopotamia and Egypt stand to be two of the oldest civilizations in history. Both were founded with a comparable social caste system, a polytheistic religion, and an agricultural economy. However, their political structure, architecture, and geography differed. While both societies developed similar social, cultural, and economic concepts, historical evidence shows that Mesopotamia and Egypt, due to various distinctions, are contrasting societies. Both civilizations had some resemblance and divergence of dividing structures in their community.
When comparing social classes in ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia there are a handful of factors that are analogous such as the notion of social hierarchy. Yet, differentiating element still linger, such as in ancient Mesopotamia there is no social mobility. In both ancient Mesopotamia and ancient Egypt people are categorized into social classes. In both regions the highest class is the pharaoh, king, or highest ruler. These people were divided because rights were expensive and it wouldn't be plausible to share them equally between everyone. People farther down on the social scale depend on people higher up for income, and nobles higher up on the social skill depend on commoners and slaves for their rather laborers tasks. The contrasting difference is that in ancient Egypt there was a possibility of social mobility through military work, compared to ancient Mesopotamia where one was forced to live out their life in the same position or class they were born in. This is due to the fact that Egypt was an empire which needed support through government and military service, compared to ancient Mesopotamia which was a city
Government in Mesopotamia was similar to modern democracies. The Sumerians in Mesopotamia elected an assembly of individuals similar to the ancient Greeks to operate the government. The kings in Sumer were elected by the assembly and as time proceeded the Lugals considered themselves to be godlike. They
Looking at the cultures, Mesopotamian and Egyptian, you can see the similarities and differences throughout their history. Ancient Mesopotamian began to form in terms of religious customs, artwork, architecture, and literature. Ancient Egypt culture was one of longest-lasting and dominant cultures of its time. This culture is known for its amazing practices in a variety of different fields including art, architecture, and other practices. These two civilizations became interlinked with one another influencing each other by their arts and teachings, however they personalized it to suit their own cultures and therefore there are also many differences between the Mesopotamian and Egyptian.
The early cities of Mesopotamia fell from one warlord to another, and were constantly changing, unlike the kingdoms of Ancient Egypt that kept its stability. The Egyptians lived along the Nile River, which probably made it easier to govern the people. The King was the owner and ruler of all Egypt and was considered a god by the people. The economy was a royal monopoly, the peoples duties was to serve the King. In the old Kingdom
Egypt and Mesopotamia were established in the same time period. The environment and natural disasters simulated differences in their political and social structures. Both civilizations grew along rivers, which were very resourceful to them but also caused their communities problems. The two civilizations had many similarities, but at the same time a number of differences as well. At the end, both civilizations were both built based on a community that flourished because of its river valley and geography that eventually formed the outcomes affecting their agricultural subsistence, religious development, and governmental structure.
The setting is around 3000 BCE, surrounded on all sides by vast, arid deserts, steep cliffs, and extensive bodies of water. And, in these massive deserts civilization exists; there are grand, shining empires, pillars of humanity. Ancient Egypt and Ancient Mesopotamia, both known as cradles of civilization, were hosts to some of the greatest ancient kingdoms of mankind. These empires shared a number of common practices due to similar geographical settings, but likewise they were different in their structure, customs, and views. The ancient civilizations of Egypt and Mesopotamia shared many similarities; however Egypt was more prosperous economically, established a superior, unwavering political structure, and possessed more unified and content religious views.
Egyptian and Mesopotamian societies are similar because they share the same concept of having a single ruler. The differences are that in Egyptian society the political rule is a theocracy and in Mesopotamian societies it is a monarchy. They are both divided into social classes. We remember from the earlier that the major difference is being that women in Egyptian societies have more rights than those in Mesopotamian societies. Egyptian civilization was a dynasty and passed down the power to the son, whereas Mesopotamia was just a monarchy didn’t necessarily pass down the power to the son.
Egypt and Mesopotamia were in contrast to one another in many ways. Egypt emphasized strong central authority, while Mesopotamian politics shifted more frequently over a substructure of regional city-states. They were also culturally different; Egypt developed in relative isolation, all foreigners were considered enemies while Mesopotamia was a multicultural society. Also, Egypt was well endowed with natural resources and far more self-sufficient than Mesopotamia. They used papyrus reeds growing in marshy areas to make sails, ropes, and a kind of paper. Hunters pursued the abundant wild animals and birds in the marshes. Egypt's art and architecture are very different from Mesopotamia. From pyramids to temples, rigid pharaohs to flowing art of Amarna, Egypt's style was totally different from Mesopotamia's. Mesopotamian art focused on less monumental structures. In Mesopotamia, women lost social standing and freedoms in societies where agriculture superseded hunting and gathering; whereas in Egypt, they are depicted with dignity and respect, could own properties, and inheritance from their parents was possible. Both civilizations traded differently but Mesopotamia was more productive due to technological advance. Egypt’s interests abroad focused on maintain access to valuable resources rather than acquiring territory. Both Mesopotamia and Egypt were ruled by kings,
Known as one of the earliest civilizations, Mesopotamia and Egypt both share set amounts of similarities along with a share of striking distinctions. Environmentally, these two civilizations were formed in similar surroundings, yet their weather patterns show distinctions. Politically, both governments derived from a monarch, yet their laws and punishments distinguished the two’s court systems. Economically, they both shared prosperous success in similar manners. Socially, although the two lands followed a hierarchy, the value of women contrasted. Culturally, they both believed in a higher order of creation; however, their views of them were polar opposites. Intellectually, these two societies developed skilled abilities and creations that