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

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 Egyptian and Mesopotamian religion and society were similar, but their government system was different. The religions in Egypt and Mesopotamia were similar because both were polytheistic, had beliefs of an afterlife, as well as priests who were part of the upper levels of the social hierarchy. Social similarities between Egypt and Mesopotamia included: rigid social structure, dependence on slavery, and authoritative religious structure. However, the system of government was different because Egyptian society was governed by a theocratic monarchy, while Mesopotamia was ruled by a traditional monarchy.

The most apparent difference was these civilizations’ distinct type of rule. Egypt had pharaohs as their kings or rulers. Pharaohs were seen as holy figures and treated as gods, which allowed ancient Egypt to have a single, unified governing body, combining church and state. Mesopotamia was divided into city-states with a ruler governing each area independently. This led to a more fragmented political structure with recurring clashes and wars. The story of the Mesopotamian era is one of war, feud, and collapse; whereas ancient Egypt was mostly unified, sustaining a stable and well-structured

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.

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.

Early Mesopotamia and Egypt had many similarities like their religion beliefs, but they also had some differences like politics Egypt and Mesopotamia had very similar religion beliefs. For example, they were both polytheism. Polytheism is a religion where you believe in more than one god. Egypt believed in 114 gods. Mesopotamia worshiped 42 gods.

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

Egypt and Mesopotamia were both two of the earliest known civilizations. Egypt was built on both sides of the Nile River, while Mesopotamia was built in between Tigris River, and Euphrates River. Their positions permitted water resources that granted fertile land for agriculture. Although both civilizations had their similarities and differences, agriculture was their primary living resource, as well as polytheistic being their primary religion. There were many gods and goddesses worshipped by both civilizations. Therefore, Osiris, Anubis, and Ereshkigal shared similar roles and positions throughout their era.

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.

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

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.