Two Forms Of A Complex Society

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.

“Polis is a term that is used to describe a tight knit small community of Ancient Greek citizens who agreed on certain rules and customs. Usually a polis was centered on a small town and the countryside the surrounded it” (Deering). The polis defined a public and communal space, the Agora, for the purpose of leading public affairs. The affairs of men and affairs were included as these had essentials parts to the entire community’s affairs. The Ancient Greek poleis are among the first recorded democratic governments in the world. The term polis has been translated into city-state as there was typically only one city and because an individual polis was independent from other poleis in terms of political, judicial, legal, religious and social institutions and practices (Cartwright). A polis offered security for its inhabitants and gave organization to government through structure, function and hierarchy.

The geography of Greece prompted the distinguishment of the independent city-states. This altered the political development of Greece because the different states had separate forms of government. For example, the state of Athens had a direct form of democracy as a government. Whereas, Sparta was an isolated military state. The mountains also posed as natural barriers for these states, unlike the mountains of Italy which were low and rugged and caused the people to unite. The mountains also obstructed the states of Greece to be culturally diffused. Although they practiced similar religious beliefs, Greeks were prevented from trading with each other. The mountains helped some states as a barrier from invasions. The terrain also assisted the independent Pious to practice their own culture. Sparta is one of these independent culture states. The state prevented trading and other “outside” communication in order to rid of cultural diffusion. The mountains helped them to begin their own particular society and to be unaffected by other external

Although Egypt and Mesopotamia were both early agricultural societies built upon the water provided by the major rivers which sustained them, they exhibited important differences as a consequence of the different physical environments in which they developed. In this paper I will first focus on what I consider to be the major aspects of these differences in environment and then explore the consequences of these differences in their religious beliefs, political organization and commercial practices.

Egypt and Mesopotamia were two civilizations existing during the time period of 2000-1200 BCE. These civilizations were shaped by their environment, involved with trade, and faced changes in government after the 100 year drought; however, they differed in that Egypt was shaped by the Nile, traded goods for goods and changed their outlook on the pharaoh who was ruler of all; whereas, Mesopotamia was shaped by the Tigris and Euphrates, traded money for goods, and had a ruler over rulers. It is undeniable that the natural environment of ancient Mesopotamia had a profound effect on the earliest civilizations known to the world. Humankind’s ability

Long, long ago, before the invention of TV, the radio, and phones, people lived in ways that are very questionable and thought provoking to us today. Their traditions, customs , and culture are very different than ours. Many questions have arisen, and many have been answered. But, as always, the are those few questions that were never given an answer. Today we will be looking at many questions, yet there is one question that we will be thinking about throughout this entire essay. How did geographic challenges lead to the rise of city-states in Mesopotamia? This question and much more will be answered within this text, And who knows? Maybe you'll find a question of your own to answer!

The word “collapse” has a number of connotations associated with it. Some view it exclusively the degradation of societies of the highest order. Others see it as the complete disintegration of economic prospects and commerce. Some even think of it political ruin with the demise of states and ruling factions that maintain order. The most general definition for collapse can includes elements from these three viewpoints. American anthropologist and historian Joseph A. Tainter is best known for his writings on societal collapses. In 1988 he published his most widely recognized work, The Collapse of Complex Societies.

To begin with, it is important to understand the city states did not outline the division of politics, society, religion, and economy as clearly as modern day western societies do or even

By juxtaposing the Mesopotamian and Egyptian religion and royal power, we can see how these two different ascendancies acted similarly and antithetically as they both affected their people's fabrications. These strong concepts, religion and royal power (starting around approximately the early,ancient 3500 B.C.E.) compelled their people to follow their rulings. Mesopotamian & Egyptian cultural architecture, writing/arts, and geographical location act as evidence to exhibit how religion and royal power were sovereignties that influenced these creations. The royal power and religion of Egypt and Mesopotamia both affect the architecture of their region. Document 2 is the Step Pyramid of Djoser at Saqqara, c. 2648 B.C.E.; a monument, which stood at 204 feet

The evolvement of two noteworthy key societies in the Middle East and North Africa inspires my effort at comparative analysis. Because different geography, various degrees of exposure to outside invasion and influence, and different prior beliefs, Egypt, and Mesopotamia were similar to one another in many ways. Egypt emphasized strong central authority, while Mesopotamian politics shifted more frequently over a substructure of regional city-states. Mesopotamian art focused on less impressive structures while embracing a pronounced literary element that Egyptian art lacked. Egyptian civilization, formed by 3000 B.C., advanced from trade and technological influence from Mesopotamia, but it produced an entirely different social order and culture. Since its ethics and its tightly knit political association encouraged monumental building, we know more about Egypt about Mesopotamia, even though the latter was in the most respects more important and richer in subsequent heritage.

In ancient Greece rose two of the greatest city-states of its time. These city states were the first of their time to display characteristics of a true society of people who collaborate with each other and the first to form an official government. The two major forms of government in Greece were democracy and oligarchy; which was best represented by the city states of Athens and Sparta. The government chosen of Athens is the key reason to the fall of Greece and the reason Sparta is the superior of the two city-states. The democratic form of government which is great and needed today was not the type of government needed at the time for Greece because its main priority should have been survival and war.

Throughout history, we have seen the rise and fall of numerous civilizations. Two prominent ancient civilizations that had a lasting effect on the future are Mesopotamia and Egypt. Ancient Mesopotamia and ancient Egypt developed side by side between starting in 3000 B.C.E. But, apart from their neighboring surroundings, both civilizations had various similarities and differences that led to the demise of each one. Specifically, the most notable similarities and differences between Mesopotamia and Egypt is their economy because both civilizations depended on agriculture, the citizens were required to pay taxes, and in contrast, Egypt economy was governed by states while mesopotamia was a private enterprise.

Sociology is a very complex subject. Trying to understand how a person or anything else works is quite difficult. No two people are the same. Life as we know it is very complicated. There are many professions that people go into to find out how life works – how people work.

While Mesopotamian cultures were organized around the complex building projects needed to irrigate their fields, societies in the Nile River had other pressures. Their cropland was regularly fertilized and irrigated, so their complexity developed out

In the readings, there are many trends regarding ancient concepts of law, government, and social structure. The code of Hammurabi played a significant role in Mesopotamian law, while the Nile River had a large part in the development of Egyptian civilization. In addition, the Hebrews moved toward pure monotheism and the Persians enhanced the Near Eastern model of monarchical government. “The evidence reveals that on the one hand, peoples then living in the Near East, Africa, and the Mediterranean developed their own distinctive beliefs, mythologies, customs, and sense of identity. On the other they shared many attributes such as large populations, the use of writing, devotion to religion, and economies based on trade and agriculture.” (Lualdi, 15) Overall, each society had similarities and differences in their way of life, but some are key to showing the maturation of the area as a whole.