Comparing The Indus And The Shang Dynasty

The river valley civilizations of Sumer, Egypt, India, and China were historical pillars of innovation. Not only were they each responsible for having forged new technological innovations, but they each created their own system of writing as well. Each of them meets the requirements of being labeled as a “civilization” because each had a form of social organization, trade and economic activity, government, division of labor, and some form of record keeping. What sets them apart from one another are the specifics within the similarities they shared. These similarities and differences within their technological innovations and writing are numerous.

Ancient South Asian and Chinese societies have many things in common, but they also have many differences in their ways of living. From social aspects to religious aspects, Ancient South Asian and Chinese societies have developed over time to become their own unique societies.

Ancient Mesopotamia and the Indus River Valley civilization were two incredibly productive and successful empires. While Mesopotamian politics were slightly less focused on religion and more on other aspects, the two societies shared many social characteristics. They both had defined social hierarchies, as well as similar views on gender roles. These traits are helpful in explaining the similarities and differences between the two cultures.

3. Evidence – (China) These people were elite members of society. To become involved in politics or to be any leader, a person had to take a test of intelligence, based off Confucian teachings and beliefs. (India) In society, Brahmins (priests) were held in the highest regard. Whatever caste a person was born into, that is where the person stayed, and that’s what determined the person’s importance.

In historic times, multiple Societies of people living and collaborating together in a community is what led to the formation of many Empires. Empires were comprised of similar groups of people that were most often geographically located within close proximities. It is interesting to compare and contrast three societies which became Empires: the Egyptian, Zhou Chinese, and Persian. Each Empire is responsible for contributing to a foundational advancement that has been used in future generations. I will compare the similarities and contrasts of each and explain why I believe the Persian Empire was the most successful Empire.

The Mongols and Aztec empires rose in the post- classical period, between 600 and 1450 CE. While each empire was distinct, they had economic, political, and social similarities. For example, the Mongols and Aztecs both had a militaristic society, courage in battle meant a higher status. One difference in these empires is that, while the Aztecs had a rigid social hierarchy, the Mongols had a more fluid one. The economy of the Mongols and Aztecs were also distinct from each other, with differing trade and production.

Both China and India used social hierarchy systems, but they were used differently. India used a very strict system called Varna, or the caste system. People only associated with people in their class. Marriage outside of your class and helping people in lower classes was absolutely forbidden. People couldn’t even eat or drink with people outside of their class. The Chinese rules of social hierarchy were very different. The Chinese

This can be seen when looking at the geography of where these civilizations originated. Just like the other three societies, Chinese civilization grew among the Huang He River, or the Yellow River. The river supplied water for the Chinese to be able to practice agriculture. The river also gave them a mode of transportation to move goods from place to place, just like the Harappans. Another characteristic of the Chinese that is similar to the Harappans was the fact that we do not know much about them because they did not leave any records behind. Life along the Yellow River was also similar to life along the Nile. The people of both civilizations built ditches and canals in the rivers in order to use them for transportation and irrigation. They both used water to feed their people, and cattle as they raised them along the river, and to use for their crops, as both rivers were fertile. Unlike the Nile, the Yellow River brought both positive and negative consequences. The Yellow River was also given another name by its people, the River of Sorrows. This was because the Yellow River did not flood regularly like the Nile, it was irregular. Some years the Yellow River would not flood at all, and in other cases it would flood and bring devastation to its people. The Egyptians luckily did not experience this with the Nile River, instead they celebrated it and called it their giver of

Ancient China and India both had social structures that basically dictated their ways of life, too. They both had patriarchal societies. This meant that their societies were dominated by men. Family was extremely important in both cultures. In addition, China and India each had their own caste system. In India, at the top of the cast system were the priests. Then came warriors, commoners, the Sudras, and the Untouchables. The caste system in

The civilizations of the Nile River valley, the Mesopotamia valley, and Indus Valley marked human progress toward fixed settlements and the development of a rich culture. These civilizations shared many characteristics that contributed to their success. What made these civilizations unique were the contributions that each one gave to the world. They contributed their own ideas and accomplishments in the areas of religion, science, and mathematics. These contributions defined each civilization and how they would be remembered, as well as, their importance to the world.

Throughout the history of Earth, there have been many fascinating developments, the most prominent being the first civilizations, Mesopotamia and Ancient Egypt. They had many similarities, such as characteristics of early civilizations and social structures, but they also had their differences. The most embossed differences included the divergent geography, prior belief, trade, relations with other civilizations, and politics.

When comparing The Shang River civilization (China) The Nile River civilization (Egypt) during the Bronze Age there were similarities and differences. Politically, they were similar and different because both governments were a dynasty and they governed their lands differently socially they were similar and different because both civilizations had distinct social classes and they had differences when it came to women’s rights. However, based on close observation (or close analysis) Ancient Egypt was more successful.

There were four main ancient River Valley civilizations: the Fertile Crescent of Mesopotamia, the Nile River of Egypt, the Indus River of India, and the Yellow River of China. These civilizations showed specific similarities and contrasting differences. Many of these differences and similarities showed up in the three categories of the technological advances, the types of government, and the geography of the civilization. Two civilizations that are very interesting to delve deeper into and study the contrasting societies are China and Egypt. Since China and Egypt were both isolated from the outside, they developed with a strong focus on technology and learning with strong governments to hold the nations together.

| The development of the calendar was based on their observations and studies of the stars, moon, and sky. They also established a number system; a year was cut into 12 months, a month into 30 days, a day into 12 hours, an hour into 60 minutes, and a minute into 60 seconds. They also divided a circle into 360 degrees of the 60 arc minutes. Settlement patterns were based on the environment of the area and the need for a stable water supply.

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.