Mesopotamia and Egypt Essay

What similarities and differences did Egypt and Mesopotamia have and why was Egypt more politically unified than its neighbor, Mesopotamia? I think in order to answer these questions it is important to look at how both societies lived. Egypt and Mesopotamia were two civilizations existing during the time period of 2000-1200 BCE.(text, 97) 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. The

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.

I think that without the past there is no future. The future is very important and in this essay I will explain the Egyptian civilization in mesopotamia and information about their beliefs, way of life and leadership. I will also include the role of pharaoh and priests of Mesopotamia.

When comparing cultures it would be difficult to find two that are more diverse than the Mesopotamian and Egyptian cultures. The Mesopotamian culture was filled with tension and instability while the Egyptian people maintained a stable and somewhat more content way of life. In examining these two cultures one can surmise that these differences are mainly due to the political, economic, social, religious, and geographic differences between Egypt and Mesopotamia. These factors added to the overall mentality of the people. These mentalities affected the stability of each culture, whether for the better or worse.

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.

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.

Politically, although both Egypt and Mesopotamia had one main ruler, Egypt was centralized and whereas Mesopotamia was decentralized. Egypt centralized government led

There were three social classes in Mesopotamia. There was the aristocracy, the working class, and the slaves. The aristocracy was made up of the rich and powerful who owned much land. The working class was made up of high priests,

With governmental machinery that brought political and social order to their territories, effective political and military power enabled them to build regional empires and expand their authority to neighboring people. Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia were two great civilizations among the earliest to emerge in the Middle east and North Africa. Both made significant contributions in areas such as mathematics, medicine, agriculture, astronomy, technology, architecture, art and writing. They had differences as well, including their political structures. Most importantly is that Egyptians were under a centralized government, and the Mesopotamians had self-controlled city state governments.

Egypt, unlike Mesopotamia did not have a slave markets. Slaves were usually prisoners captured in wartimes. They could often be located in the households of Pharaohs or working in mines. This structure of Egyptian culture held similar relationships to the Greeks. Ancient Greece had a social structure that matches some of Egypt’s and Mesopotamian. Although, Ancient Greece did not have Pharaohs, they did however have an upper-class. To be a member of this class you couldn’t have a job and an individual had to possess many talents and wealth. The middle-class or Metics known as free men of foreign birth were ineligible for citizenship. They were mostly professional men merchants, contractors, manufactures, managers, tradesmen and craftsmen. The lower class was partly made of freedmen, individuals who were once slaves. These individuals could thus come up from being a slave by purchasing their freedom or anything else to being a member of the middle class. Slaves were often prisoners of war, victims of slave raids, infants rescued from exposure, and criminals. All of the social stratification connects to each other and some diversity can be seen in each society.

Mesopotamia is a rich flat plain created by deposits from the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. At the southern end of this plain developed the first recognizable civilization, in the area known as Sumer. In 3000 B.C. Sumer contained a dozen or more city-states, each ruled by its own king and worshiped its own patron deity. The citizens of these city-states were classified into three classes: nobles and priests, commoners, and slaves. In the center of a

The first topic of comparison is the prospect of culture and environment in each society. Due to cultural diffusion amongst the civilizations, except geographically isolated China, among other factors, it can be deduced that the civilizations had many similar practices. However, each society boasted distinctive qualities. Early Mesopotamia, known by the moniker of “the land between the rivers,” was a fertile plain settled near the Tigris and Euphrates rivers located in the Fertile Crescent. All of the river valley civilizations settled near a river. Egypt settled near the Nile; the Indus Valley

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.

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

Mesopotamia and Egypt were very different because of their geography and world view. Mesopotamia was often flooded because of their bad geography, but the land around the Nile river was built well so the Egyptians didn 't have to worry about the river flooding as often. The land in Mesopotamia was often attacked and invaded. Ultimately the geography of Egypt was significantly better than Mesopotamia because of the benefits of the nile river created a positive world view, a strong government and a universal religion.