Essay on Egypt, Mesopotamia and Ancient Greek Civilizations

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.

Both societies also permitted slavery which was not based on race, but on those who were captured in battle. Both also had their own religion with their own customs and beliefs. In Mesopotamia, the priests and the king were part of the upper class, the merchants and artisans were part of middle class, the farmers and the laborers made up the lower-middle class, and the slaves were the lowest class. In Egypt, the highest class consisted of the pharaoh, the priests were part of the upper-middle, merchants and artisans were part of the middle, and the lower class consisted of farmers and laborers. The lowest class consisted of the slaves who were captured in battle. It is important to note that slavery was based on prisoners captured in battes and not on race. Thus, despite the similarities, both societies also had unique characteristics for their own religion and beliefs.

In social terms, Egypt and Mesopotamia followed a hierarchy. A body of people with authority, categorized according to

Even though both prospered after a devastating drought, they both had different approaches in which they traded goods. I think that the approach, Egypt took, made it more unified than Mesopotamia. One reason is that, according to them, they wanted nice things to put into their tombs to use in the afterlife. The nice things were like furniture, and coffins that were constructed from wood that was imported in from Phoenicia. (text, 107) A second reason is that when ever the Egyptians colonized a new area they would build stationed forts to broaden trade routes. (text, 107) Plus, in Egypt, they traded goods for goods. (text, 107) In contrast, I believe that most of Mesopotamia’s businessmen were concerned with just getting the money and nothing else, because money was so much easier to transport than heavy loads that were being traded. (lecture, Dr. Kaz , Feb 9th 2009) When Mesopotamia recovered from the

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).

Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia present a valuable area of historical research. They are of great importance mostly because of their ethnic kinship (Watson, 2017). In such case, comparison and contrast essay is very promising as causal relationships can be formed based on a mutual starting point. This comparison-contrast essay focuses on differences and similarities in these societies’ economic, political and cultural life in order to make further implications regarding the circumstances the peoples of ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia faced.

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

In ways of administering and ruling, the initial two civic establishments Mesopotamia and Egypt were indistinguishable. Leaders of Egypt were called Pharaohs, and Mesopotamia had a class framework wherein the most noteworthy class was the rulers simply like Egypt. The majority of the civic establishments each had their own Gods they addressed and some were fundamentally the same to one another, despite the fact that for Egypt, they trusted that their Pharaoh was their God on earth. In Mesopotamia, other than the decision families, the high class additionally included driving authorities, and devout ministers. The little working class had shippers, artisans, and lower ministers. Most of the individuals was at the base and was laborer ranchers.

Political Structure Both Ancient Egypt and the Sumerians established a political structure in which there was one ruler; however, a different individual ruled each civilization. A pharaoh, who was a priest as well as a god, ruled Egypt (Warren, n.d.). The pharaoh owned everything. However, Sumerians were ruled by priest/kings (Wallech,

There are two ancient civilizations that standout in history. These two are ancient Mesopotamia and ancient Egypt, they are both very advanced colonies but even though they are different in many ways, they are very similar as well. Both Egypt and Sumer have a very alike government although one is a theocracy and one is a monarchy. They both were one of the few old civilizations to have a system of writing. Like the government they are very similar and only a few minor things are different.

Throughout the semester we have taken time in class to understand the differences between the many complex societies we have learned about. The differences can range from technology, agriculture, communication, labor, and much more. The two main complex societies that I will focus on is Egypt and Mesopotamia specifically on how farming played out differently due to natural disadvantages.

Civilizations like Egypt and Greece have received their due acknowledgment by society, it is however Mesopotamia that often does not get there just recognition for their contributions to civilization as we know it.

Ancient Greece and Ancient Egypt were both extremely prevalent societies between the times of 750 BCE and 450 BCE. For Greece, this includes a majority of what was considered the Archaic Age. During this time Greece was divided into many separate cities that each had their own distinct personality. For example, Spartans believed “it was deeds, not words, that counted” and “they organized their whole style of life around the demands of battle-readiness.” On the other hand, you have a city like Athens that was considered the mother of democracy and consisted of a culture focused on wisdom, freedom, and equality. During the start of this time period in Egypt, the area falls under Kushite rule. Regardless of being under new rule, the ancient Egyptian culture and religion persisted because the people of Kush incorporated the two cultures to strengthen the society. In fact, rulers and elites wore Egyptian clothing, followed Egyptian burial practices, and, most importantly, professed devotion to Egyptian gods. Both Greece and Egypt were very impacted by their religions and are still studied to this day as mythology. Both of their religions were based around the idea of polytheism and often their many gods would serve as an explanation to the unknown of the world. They would often embody forces of nature and explain things like the seasons, the rising and setting of the sun, and even naturally occurring disasters. As a result of trying to explain so many things, there are

As seen throughout time, one of the chief concerns of all ancient civilizations was to maintain order and stability. Civilizations such as ancient Egypt, ancient Rome and even the ancient Babylonian societies all set forth an effort to maintain stability. Influencing forces on this stability were religious, political and even geographical. I’ve noticed that many civilizations flourish for hundreds of years only to fall or be taken over by the next generation. Some cities today are remnants of these fallen empires such as Rome in Italy or Alexandria in Egypt.

There are many civilizations in history that contributed to the rise of modern day society. All of the things that we see today have been in some way shape or form improved upon to stand the test of time. From the structures of buildings, religion and pyramids, to the influence of art, it all played a part. The ancient civilization of the Egyptians was one of the most significant and well known cultures to ever have existed and technology wise, they were light years ahead.