The cultures within Mesopotamia and Egypt were separate from each other, this allowed for different points of view about events during the same time periods (Matthews et. al., 2014). The two cultures both believed in multiple gods, referred to as polytheistic. The powers of their gods were very different from one another. The Mesopotamian gods were indifferent to the people of the world, causing great grief without regard for the human being who worshiped them. This is noted by Gilgamesh’s desperation to find a way to live forever (Osborne, 2018). The afterlife was thought to basically an endless blackness without feelings while being fully cognitive of oneself. The Egyptian gods were thought to care for the people of the world, blessing them with a blissful afterlife …show more content…
al., 2014). In Mesopotamia, the artwork, as well as details in the architecture, encompass fine metals as well as gems. In Egyptian artwork and architecture, these elements are not as abundant, this is explained by the absence of the readily available resources. The intricate stonework in Egypt is far more detailed than that in Mesopotamia, moreover, there were great pyramids as well as temples in Egypt. The Egyptians crafted grand arches, pillars, as well as carved designs that are not seen in the Mesopotamia structures.
The written forms used by the Mesopotamia and the Egyptians were also notably different (Guisepi, n.d.). The Egyptians used hieroglyphics, pictorial, to relay their messages as well as record events. The alphabet used by the Mesopotamia was thought to be more complex, this enabled their ability to construct greater amounts of literature. The structure of their societies was built similarly with those who possess more in the top of the hierarchy. Both the Mesopotamians and the Egyptians were isolated enabling their empires to stand for longer periods of time.
Egypt and Mesopotamia both had differences of their political and social structures. Egypt had more of authorial government, where one head person was in charge which in this case was the pharaoh, which was the head on Egypt social class, as well as leader of his society. The Pharaoh was basically a
Although Mesopotamia and Egypt have some things in common, they are different in many ways. Mesopotamia did not have as many people as Egypt did. Also, Egypt had specialized workers that are called the wealthy landowners. Mesopotamia did not have any specialized workers that were wealthy. Mesopotamia and Egypt had different types of specialized workers.
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.
The economy of mesopotamia and Ancient Egypt were pretty close to each other, but they still had their differences. First off the most obvious of the similarities, they both were located near a river that was used as irrigation for their crops and as a good water source to go fishing. Since the Nile,Tigris, and Euphrates rivers all have a seasonal flood that provides the people with fertilized soil, they mostly live off of the crops that they plant. Unlike Ancient Egypt who are known for their Pyramids, Mesopotamia was known mostly for their pottery and metal work. Both Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia had to have a way of protecting themselves.
Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia were similar since both civilizations were polytheistic however they had different beliefs and worshipped different gods. Their religion was unalike because of the three factors; geography, rulers, and different gods. The geography is influenced because when the Euphrates and the Tigris rivers flooded the Mesopotamians thought the gods were angry. the flood destroyed all their food. However, when the Nile flooded the Egyptians thought the gods were happy. The flood gave life to the Egyptians. Both civilizations had different beliefs.In Egypt one of the rulers altered the Egytians' beliefs since the Akanaten changed the religion into monotheism. However, Mesopotamia had independent city states with own rulers so
Despite them both being River Valley Civilizations that are considered to be the beginnings of civilization, established prior to 3100 BC, Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia were vastly different.
Religion was practiced throughout Ancient Mesopotamia and Egypt. Both the Mesopotamians and Egyptians shared polytheistic beliefs. Each god was responsible for an action, but they did not consider the gods to be equal in Mesopotamian society, in order to please the gods, a sacrifice must be made to please them in order to avoid the god’s wrath. The separation of church and state did not exist in both ancient civilizations, pharaohs of Egyptian society was known to be a god on Earth, the incarnation of Horus, the falcon god. The Mesopotamian rulers were known as a representative to the gods. Although they worship to several different gods, they do have differences between the two. The idea of an afterlife, In Mesopotamia didn’t exist but for the Egyptians the idea of an afterlife was of significant importance to them, rituals were held to ensure that the body and soul would be ready for an eternal life after death. The writing systems of both the Mesopotamians and the Egyptians have many similarities. Pictographic writing, which was developed by the
Mesopotamians and Egyptians differed greatly in their religious beliefs, but their religions shared some common elements. The primary similarity in the religions of Egypt and Mesopotamia is that both were polytheistic, meaning that they believed in multiple gods and goddesses. Although they differed in the deities they worshipped, both cultures also tended to identify gods with particular elements in nature. For example, the Egyptian god Ra and the Mesopotamian god Utu were both sun gods, and both the Egyptian god Horus and the Mesopotamian god Anu were identified with the sky. Both cultures also built elaborate temples for ceremonial purposes.
Civilization was first created due to the Neolithic Revolution and two of the few salient river valley civilizations were Egypt and Mesopotamia. Both societies’ government were a theocratic monarchy and the people were polytheistic, however due to geographic conditions, the two civilizations differ in their governmental stability and outlook on religion. Between the two civilizations, the geography of Egypt was more advantageous and beneficial to their society than Mesopotamia. Mesopotamia and Egypt were different in that their systems of government were very similar yet very different. Although the two civilizations were theocratic monarchies, Egypt was more centralized than Mesopotamia.
Egypt and Mesopotamia, two of the earliest civilizations which were both developed around 3000 B.C.E., have numerous similarities and differences due to various reasons. The civilizations share many religious, economical, and geographical aspects of life, but there is still a multitude of differences between them. First off, both civilizations were river valley civilizations; Mesopotamia was developed near the Tigris and Euphrates River, whereas Egypt was established near the Nile River. These rivers would have a significant role in both civilizations, since they flooded and left fertile soil used for agriculture.
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
Each Mesopotamian city states worshiped local gods and spirits. If they were part of a large kingdom or Empire, then they might be forced to worship the religion of the state but usually kept local beliefs intact. This is primarily because of how fragmented ancient Mesopotamia used to be. Egyptian Polytheism differs a lot from Mesopotamian Animism and Polytheism in several ways. The Egyptian’s worshiped the state religion alone and did not have separate local religions as often. The rough geography most likely helped with this along with the unity of Egypt. The ziggurats of Mesopotamia and the various monuments of Egypt have similarities and seemingly different functions. The Mesopotamians built ziggurats as temples, but the monuments of Egypt have various roles including for burial which reflects another major religious difference, the Egyptians believed in an afterlife which resulted in many artifacts preserved helping historians know more about their culture, not what was intended, but useful later
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,
Over the years the Egyptians had more experience than the Mesopotamians, because the Egyptians had more ideas for making new things. In Ancient Egypt the Egyptians had built pyramid structures and in the Ancient Middle East the Mesopotamians had built ziggurat structures. The Egyptians and the Mesopotamians had most things in common, but they mostly have a lot of differences. The Mesopotamians were the first to develop tools during that time, but over the years the Egyptians had also developed tools but it was real science technology. Another thing is that when it came to women’s rights in Ancient Middle East all the women were owned by their husbands, and in Ancient Egypt the people worshiped women and there was even a woman ruler. Even though Ancient Middle East and Ancient Egypt share written language and both heavily relied on the Nile, Tigris, and Euphrates, rivers the difference between Ancient Middle East and Ancient Egypt is that they both had an opposite view of the afterlife.
Arts and Architecture filled the land of Mesopotamia and ancient Egypt. Mainly using sun dried materials, they built cities. Buildings and structures were constructed near water sources for farming and other purposes. Both civilizations also created great pyramids to honor their fallen kings.