Egypt And Mesopotamia Similarities

    The whole world changed in 3500 BCE when the first civilizations emerged in river valleys. Egypt and Mesopotamia were one of the very first two that came about and they were highly successful and impacted the future tremendously. These two civilizations were located many miles apart yet somehow found a way to be so similar but so different. An illustration of this is how  differently they thought of their Gods, Egypt worshipped them while Mesopotamia feared them but they were similar in a way that they were both polytheistic and believed in animism. Another example is how they ran their governments, Egypt had a strong united front while Mesopotamia had separate

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.

In 3100 B.C and Mesopotamians at 5000 B.C (1). The Nile river was a key place for the start of the Ancient Egyptian empire. Egyptians themselves were located near lower Egypt closeby the Nile Delta. They then slowly moved up around upper egypt. With clear fertile and rich soil, agriculture was most efficient and made the Ancient Egyptians very rich. Mesopotamians also had their own rivers known as the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers which were rich in soil for farming. Mesopotamians were located around Zagros Mountains and located inside the Persian gulf. Mesopotamians were Mediterraneans. Egyptians and the Mesopotamians were very alike. Equal rights between men and women existed in both of the empires societies. (2). This is important because the demographics of females were not small in Ancient Egypt and Ancient Mesopotamia. Also, the religion of both empires were polytheistic (Meaning “many gods”) (2). Because the gods controlled Egypt and Mesopotamia through land and power, people dedicated a large portion of their time to the gods. An example is that temples

Lastly, the greatest dichotomy between the two was in fact their rivers, both of which functioned differently and had different effects on their inhabitants. The Tigris and Euphrates had an unpredictable flooding pattern, which not only caused ma¬¬¬ssive damage, but led its people to believe in “rough gods” that were sentient over the rivers. The Nile, on the other hand, had a predictable flooding pattern and was easily navigable, which in turn allowed for easy agriculture and trading and the belief in a “helpful god”. Having a reliable river allowed the Egyptians to focus on other things, whereas in Mesopotamia the river was the main focus, and every citizen pitched in to maintain the rivers and their canals, since arduous the task of maintaining

Egyptians viewed the afterlife in a very positive way - they believed if they lived by the standards of “Ma’at”, they would end up in the “Happy Field of Food” or “Field of Offerings” in the afterlife. “Ma’at”, simply put, composed of acting in ways that are truthful, harmonious, moral, balanced, and orderly. In simple terms, Egyptians believed that if they acted with morality, they would have a happy afterlife with no hunger or pain. Mesopotamians had a much darker view of life after death: they believed they would spend eternity in the “House of Dust” with other tortured souls. Mesopotamian gods were not moral or truthful - they cheated, lied, stole, etc., and Mesopotamians believed that humans were created simply because the gods grew tired of working. Mesopotamians worshipped their gods because they believed if they worshipped enough, they may receive blessings or justice, but this was not guaranteed.

One of their differences is that Egypt was more stable than Mesopotamia. This is because Egypt had an ideal geographic location since they were surrounded by natural barriers such as deserts and water. They also had predictable flooding which made civilization and agriculture much easier than their Mesopotamian counterparts. Mesopotamia, on the other hand, was not as lucky since they were out in the open, vulnerable to attack by other civilizations and had unpredictable flooding. This had an impact on their government’s stability because since the Egyptian government was rarely overthrown, their civilization was able to grow and develop constantly. Mesopotamia, on the other hand, had quite the different lifestyle since that area got conquered often their way of life was constantly changing which left Mesopotamia in an unstable state. With Mesopotamia unstable, their view of the afterlife was affected. The Mesopotamians had a book called the “Epic of Gilgamesh” which described the fate of all humans when they had passed. The fate according to the “Epic of Gilgamesh” was that death was the end and that there was nothing after. Unlike the Mesopotamians, Egyptians had a positive outlook on the afterlife, which is shown in the “Book of the Dead” or the “Book of Emerging Forth into the Light.” The Egyptian’s book about the afterlife says that after one had passed from this world they would go to another life. This shows that Egypt had a positive outlook on the afterlife because they believed in another life, another

Mesopotamia and Ancient Egypt both had substantial roles in many different aspects. These two civilizations have similarities and differences with each other. The civilizations had different ways they approached their societies, for example the works of women. Along the way these two civilizations also shared differences and similarities with their economic and political aspects.

Egyptian and Sumerian religions developed differently because their respective geographic environments caused them to hold divergent views of their lives. Since the geography in Sumer and Egypt was different, they held different views about their gods and beliefs. Even though they were two of the first civilizations, they developed different beliefs about their religion.

Both the Mesopotamians and the Egyptians were polytheistic, meaning they worshipped multiple gods. Religion and politics were closely intertwined in a government called a theocracy, as the leader or leaders were thought to have been appointed by the gods with a divine right to rule. The priests of both religions, who wore no specials costumes, were the only people allowed to enter into and worship in the temples. They made daily offerings to the gods, and yearly festivals were open to the public.

The social similarities between Egypt and Mesopotamia found its roots in the authoritative religious structure. The Mesopotamian religion viewed people as servants of the gods. Given that Mesopotamia was often affected by terrible weather and devastating calamities, people needed to ensure the gods were always happy to offer protection and shield from such mishaps. Egyptians, on the other hand, believed that the gods were responsible for creating all the humans, but everything was done in order. The cultural difference between the Egyptians and Mesopotamia differed partially due to their geography difference (Haber 250).

The beliefs of Mesopotamians and the Egyptians The Mesopotamians and the Egyptians take place in the ancient year a long history of civilization but they weren’t almost identical but believe in different beliefs about the afterlife. Mesopotamians weren’t as religious as egyptians as they try to live their lives normally some never did offerings unless it is told by god himself. Egyptians were very religious and made decent sacrifices or offered things to worship the gods they like. The Mesopotamians and the Egyptians believed in differently when it came to the afterlife Mesopotamians believed once you are dead that's it you're stuck in eternal darkness. The Egyptians believe when you have done something good keep you go to heaven and

Some similarities between ancient Mesopotamia and Egyptian civilizations include the fact that both civilizations had the ability to write, as well as the facts that they both had polytheistic religions, social hierarchies, and governments that had control over their people and were connected to religion. Both civilizations also had a wide range of job specializations, including soldiers, scribes, craftspeople, farmers, priests and religious leaders, among others. Some differences between the two ancient civilizations are that it seems that scribes needed to be of higher social class in ancient Egypt, that ancient Egyptian civilizations cared a lot more about preparing for afterlife, and how the two civilizations viewed their gods, with Egyptians

At the start of early civilizations, many people created ideas, that were similar, and also different. Examples of this can be shown from both Mesopotamia, and from Egypt. The unfair treatment and lack of freedom women received was a similar characteristic in both Egypt and Mesopotamia. As well as this, the 1 key leader of each civilization, is key for both Mesopotamia and Egypt. But, Mesopotamia did use the aspect of structure classes for their people, and Egypt did not incorporate this into their civilization. These key subjects lead to the development of making stronger, smarter, and more enhanced civilizations, by learning from these aspects. In the religious aspect of both Mesopotamia and Egypt, their gods were connected to aspects of nature. Gods represented power and strength, and this was mainly shown through the power of nature. Examples of this can be shown by the Egyptian gods Osiris, Re, Ptah, and Amon, who each represent an aspect of nature. Mesopotamia also has gods, like Tiamat, Anu, and Aruru. Since the location of both Mesopotamia and Egypt forced them to use nature to their advantage, it can be assumed that they viewed nature as something that was powerful and treasured, in a way that they needed to respect it. They did this by rituals, songs, and offering. The Mesopotamian literature, the Epic of Gilgamesh, showed the power of the gods. Examples of this is the mass flood, the ability to grant someone immortality, and also the ability to punish by death.

Most societies that developed in ancient civilizations were centered around their belief systems. The Egyptians and the Mesopotamians were no different in this sense. Both civilizations were polytheistic and built elaborate temples to praise their gods. Additionally, the leaders in both regions were believed to be related to the gods because of the great power they held and the wealth under their control. However, the Mesopotamians had a pessimistic outlook on life because of the unpredictability of their environment. The Egyptians, on the other hand, had an optimistic outlook because the Nile River inundated their region regularly, which could be predicted by the stars. The similarities and differences in the religions of these two

The Egyptians viewed the afterlife as a happy place filled with food and the gods. In contrast, the Mesopotamians viewed the afterlife as a place of horror and fear. The vital cause for the differences of viewpoints in the afterlife is the River they depended on. Both civilizations saw the afterlife as an extension of their current life. With this being said, the Nile was giving and gave them lots of water along with silt, which was crucial for the survival of their crops. In turn, the Egyptians perspective on the afterlife was gracious. Conversely, the Mesopotamians depended on the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. While it did bless them with fresh water, on occasions, the river would grow violent and cause a catastrophic amount of damage to their homes and crops. Since they also viewed their afterlife as an extension to their current lives, they saw it as a dark and horrible place that wasn’t wanted. However, both civilizations accomplished achievements through religion and for other reasons.