When you look back in history to the development and the contributions of both the Mesopotamian and Egyptian civilizations, you see that there was a lot accomplished, as well as a lot created. The earliest forms of writing developed in Mesopotamia, while Egypt was referred to the “Gift of the Nile” by traveler Herodotus (McKay,42). Development of cities was another major marker, especially in the “old world”, of how people eventually determined civilizations and what they represented. According to McKay, civilizations were determined by people who considered themselves more “civilized”, urban people mostly. Made up of cities, written rules of law, and social justice codes, Mesopotamia and Egypt would develop into two of the largest civilizations in history.
The ancient cultures of Mesopotamia and Egypt develop into successful civilizations by having floods from the nile river that provided water, food and fertile area in the middle of the desert as document 1 states. In document 2 it says that they also had rivers that provided many resources such as transportation, trade as well as plants, the rivers were surrounded by deserts.
The Ancient Egyptians, Mesopotamia, and Greeks were some of the oldest complex societies, although similar in many aspects. Mesopotamia is located in the Fertile Crescent, land in and between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers usually known as modern day Iraq and Eastern Syria.(24) In Egypt, the Nile River creates a fertile valley which is rich in nutrients and essential to their survival. The Nile flows from Burundi, slightly south of the equator eventually traveling through Egypt and into the Mediterranean. Ancient Greece is situated very closely to Egypt so trading was easy between them. How are these three civilizations comparable and different?
The Nile River was the life force of ancient Egypt. People from all over the region immigrated to the area for its irrigation waters and rich silt deposits. The geography of the region played a huge role in the way the inhabitants and civilization in general was formed. The main core of Egypt covered 386, 560 square miles, of which only 11, 720 were cultivable (Tignor et al., Worlds Together, 62). The Nile differed itself specifically from the Tigris and Euphrates in that its waters did not irrigate or fertilize nearly as well but it did create green belts along the water. This created a society that flourished along the river. The Nile unlike Mesopotamia did not have a bountiful borderland but did have a desert rich in materials. The Niles predictability as the source of life and abundance shaped the character of the people and their culture. (Tignor et al., Worlds Together, 63). The Nile was peaceful and calm unlike the vicious Tigris And Euphrates Rivers. Egypt with its natural borders, which included the Mediterranean Sea, Deserts, and Large Waterfalls, was very isolated. This helped to achieve
During the years of 3500 BC to 2500 BC, the geography of a land often impacted a civilizations development in great measures. Depending on the resources available or the detriments present due to certain topographical characteristics like rivers or deserts, a civilization could flourish or collapse. By studying the geographic features of growing societies like the Nile, Euphrates, and Tigris Rivers as well as the Mediterranean Sea of Egypt and Mesopotamia, the link between developing cultures and geography will be examined through sources, including Egypt: Ancient Culture, Modern Land edited by Jaromir Malek and Babylon: Mesopotamia and the Birth of Civilization by Paul Kriwaczek. To determine the extent
The earliest societies, such as Mesopotamia and Ancient Egypt exhibiting indicator traits of civilization developed along the floodplains of great rivers, the Tigris and Euphrates in Iraq, and the Nile in Egypt. People had settled in Mesopotamia by 7000 B.C. and the First Dynasty of Egyptian
Mesopotamia and Ancient Egypt are both cradles of civilization. Both contributed greatly to human development through their achievements, failures, peoples, scientific accomplishments, philosophies, religions, and contributions.
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.
Ancient Egypt came around 3,100 BCE and initially consisted of two regions. There was Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt, until it was later united by a king named Narmer. This civilization is located around Northeastern Africa based around the Nile River on the Sinai peninsula. The Nile River was a vital part of life in the region for a long time because it was a way to travel and also determined the crops for that year. Even in modern day Egypt is the river very important, it provides things like hydroelectricity and
In the beginning, we were hunters and gathers. Then, we started settling and farming. Our population started rising, so we needed more food to live. We put ourselves at river valleys to have water; Egypt ended up at the Nile river valley. Over time they developed the seven indicators of a great civilization: Well Organized Government, Complex Religion, Specialized Skills and Jobs, Social Classes, Long Distance Trade, Methods of Keeping Records, and Cities. This is how Ancient Egypt became a great, complex civilization because it shows all of the seven indicators.
Most of the crops grow with the water from the Nile River because of the rich soil it brings to them. The beginnings of Egyptian civilization predate writing and are consequently obscure. Art work developed along the Nile just like the crops. On the banks of the Nile River around 3500 B.C.E. Egyptians created the tombs, paintings, pottery,
Ancient Egypt was located on the present day continent of Africa. Egypt was located in the world’s harshest desert, the Sahara Desert. The Climate of The Sahara Desert is hot and dry with little to no precipitation The Nile River flows North through Egypt. The river stretches over four thousand miles long! The Nile branches out in the North and empties into the Mediterranean Sea. A civilization is a group of people that have reached an advanced stage of life and culture. For a society to become a civilization it must have five requirements. Those requirements include,several cities, rich and poor ( social classes), a written language, science and, a government. The Nile River allowed for the growth of a civilization in Ancient Egypt.
The Egyptian Civilization is a compelling culture that has numerous theories on how it all began. Trigger, Hassan, and Kemp are archeologists that studied the Egyptian society, and what made Upper and Lower Egypt transform. Robert J Wenke does a compelling job of teaching us about the geography, and different events that had an effect on the Egyptian settlement. Environmental changes and the climate from 10,000B.C. with out a doubt played a strong role in the society.
5. About 5,000 years ago on the banks of the Nile River in North Africa has evolved in many ways remarkable civilization of ancient Egypt. The main reason for the supremacy of Egypt at that time was a great geographic advantage that no other country had, embodied in the great and the mighty Nile River. Tens of thousands of years, the center of life and development in Egypt was
Before Mesopotamia and Egypt and farming, we were hunters and gatherers. We continued that way of life for a long time because hunting and gathering worked. But then we discovered farming. Farming allowed us to plant things such as seeds or potatoes in the ground and it would grow. Because this provided guaranteed food for everyone, people could actually settle down. We created villages. Those villages turned to towns. Towns turned to cities- one of the seven indicators that make a civilization complex. I’m here to argue that Egypt is a complex civilization.