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Mesopotamian civilization analysis
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Mesopotamia history
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Comparing Mesopotamia and Egypt Before the beginning of history, people from across the land gradually developed numerous cultures, each unique in some ways while the same time having features in common. Mesopotamia and Egypt are important to the history of the world because of religious, social, political and economic development. Mesopotamia was the first civilization, which was around 3000 B.C., and all other countries evolved from it. Mesopotamia emerged from the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. The soil was rich and agriculture was plentiful. The Semitic nomads occupied the land around Akkad. The Sumerians established the city-states. Villages became urban centers. Because of the formation of the city-states everything flourished. However, Mesopotamian agriculture lacked stones; therefore mud brick became their major building block. Their diet consisted of fish from the rivers. The rivers were flooded frequently destroyed the cities. Mesopotamians made their living from crops and pottery. Mesopotamian society was stratified into classes and social differences. It was composed of nobles, free clients of the nobility, commoners and slaves. Slave women participated in the textile industry. Free women did exist, however, men dominated the women in Mesopotamia. The nobles consisted of the king, his family, the chief priests, and high palace officials. The king was a war leader elected by the citizens. He established an army and led it into battle. Kingship was hereditary. Commoners were free citizens. The school system of the Sumerians set the educational standards for Mesopotamia culture and other cultures to follow. Their studies included mathematics, botany and linguistics. Some students tha... ... middle of paper ... ...rule of Amenemhet. He was responsible for rebuilding democracy, staff of scribes and administrations. He used propaganda literature to reinforce his position as king. The Egyptians pictured him as a good shepherd opposed to inaccessible god. Ammon was given prominise over other gods. His kingdom became extremely powerful. He established trades with foreign land and formed a standing Army and built forts on the southern frontier. The Second Intermediate Period lasted 150 years. Hyksos from Palestine invaded it. The New Kingdom begins when Hyksos are driven out of Palestine. The New Kingdom was the 18th Dynasty. Ahmose I take over. He reunified the country. Women played in an important role in the New Kingdom. Hatshepsut was a powerful female. She was the wife of Thutmose II and mother of Thutmose III. The wars were fought in horse drawn carriages.
Middle, and New Kingdoms and analyze why Amenhotep IV may have brought about such religious reforms.
Early civilization remains permits us to observe how life was lived in earlier times. Until the Neolithic Era humans were fairly nomadic. When they became knowledgeable of farming they began to realize that they would not have to be nomadic anymore thus forming civilizations. These early civilizations were typically polytheistic, which means that they believed in many gods. During these civilizations they also learned to tame animals and their technologies grew more and more advanced. Almost all early civilizations have failed but they all left a lasting mark that will continue forever. The Nile River Valley Civilization and the Mesopotamia Civilization are both amazing but they both have their differences in their political and social aspects.
Ancient Mesopotamian societies had great shifts as cities and rulers rose and fell, rose and fell again, gaining land and enemies as they advanced The area Mesopotamia occupied is an immense, dry plain through which two rivers, the Euphrates and Tigris, course. These rivers rise from tributaries in the mountain ranges to the north before flowing through Mesopotamia to the sea. As they reach the land close to the sea, the land becomes swampy, with lagoons, mud flats, and reed banks, but in ancient times the sea advanced much further inland; and they poured into it as two separate streams, whereas today they join as one before reaching the sea. A close cultural cooperation was established between the Sumerians (who spoke a language that was more isolated) and the Semitic Akkadian speakers, which included extensive bilingualism in its culture. This took place around the third millennia BC and as the fourth millennia dawned Mesopotamia saw an increase in its population. By aspiring and adjusting to the changing world around them the people of Mesopotamia created government and states. Order began to develop in the territories, and due to the efficiency of its military and political structure their authority began to spread and empires grow. One of these city states Sumer was first permanently settled between c. 5500 and 4000 BC. Sumer a city-state coming to power in prehistoric time, prior to the cultures ability to leave much historical record, however in the twenty- third century BC writing came into being which has given historians their first glimpse into some of the earliest Mesopotamian cultures.
When analyzing ancient civilization and how it began, there are many elements and aspects that should be considered. Questions such as how did civilization begin? What lead to its creation? Where did it begin, and why in that particular location? Many of these questions can be examined and answered by researching what many believe is the world’s earliest civilization, Mesopotamia. It is widely believed that this region was chosen and supported one of the world’s first civilizations. This area was settled over 10,000 years ago by a group of people known as the Sumerians (Cunningham & Reich, 2010).
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 governed harmonic life style of Egypt led this society to be more politically unified; whereas, Mesopotamia’s government led to many different ways of structure, thus creating a less unified society.
Egyptian polytheistic religion recognized gods representing every aspect of life. The Achaemenid Empire served one and only one true god, Ahura Mazda. The military system of the Egyptians was dominated by the chariot warrior and its ability to afford such technology. The Achaemenid Empire relied upon a heavy armored, well organized, and highly trained infantry for its defense and conquests. The government structure of Egypt was rigid. The pharaoh was both king and a god. On the contrary, while the Achaemenid king was the ultimate ruler, he did pass down some authority to provincial governors known as satraps. Whether because of the need to adapt or a need to expand an empire, these differences demonstrate how two cultures can evolve over a 2000 year period with completely contrasting views on religion, military tactics, and governmental
A group called the Sumerians dominated majority of Mesopotamia and left their legacy on the land. They created writing, built monuments, and developed a social structure. They established how the economy and how the government works. There was independent city-state, and each state had its own king. In these times, the people were very focused on religion and so in the center of every town was a temple dedicated to the chief god/goddess of the city.
The Egyptian society consisted of three kingdoms (Old, Middle, and New) and about thirty-four different dynasties. The Egyptians were ruled by kings or pharaohs. The earlier rulers were called “Horus-kings”. I think that they called themselves “Horus-kings” because they thought the pharaoh was associated with Horus. That’s probably true in the Egyptians mind because they did believe that the pharaoh was basically a god. There were many rulers over the time due to disease, illness, etc. The Egyptians had only the pharaoh to tell them what to do and to deal with the people’s problems, although it more the vizier who dealt with the people. Unlike the Egyptians the Ottomans didn’t have as many kings or dynasties. Ottoman had about thirty-six kings over the course of the empire. They had quite fewer because they had better times to live in there possibly was less disease and better living. The sultans ruled for about twenty years. Few sultans ruled twice. The reason some rules twice was because they step down and let their successor rule and went back into power again after their successor. Between both civilizations the rulers ruled until their death, some of them did step down for another ruler to take rule. I think that some of them did actually ruled to their death but not much information was given for the Egyptians because of the amount of kings or rulers that the Egyptians had.
Ancient Mesopotamia, Ancient Egypt, and Greece were all historical civilizations that made history the way it is today. The three civilizations differed in many different ways, but they were also quite similar in other aspects. The focus of survival, beliefs, daily life, and many other focuses connect the three civilizations.
The Egyptian and Mesopotamian religion and society were similar, but their government system was different. The religions in Egypt and Mesopotamia were similar because both were polytheistic, had beliefs of an afterlife, as well as priests who were part of the upper levels of the social hierarchy. Social similarities between Egypt and Mesopotamia included: rigid social structure, dependence on slavery, and authoritative religious structure. However, the system of government was different because Egyptian society was governed by a theocratic monarchy, while Mesopotamia was ruled by a traditional monarchy.
During the time of the New Kingdom of Egypt, peace reigned throughout the nation. Egypt's enemies the Hyksos had been removed from rule and Egypt prospered. In fact she become an empire. By the time Amenhotop III sat on the throne Egypt was a land of wealth. Amenhotop was considered to be an equal or better Among other rulers throughout the area. Other rulers from neighboring lands refer to him as "brother".
The unification of Ancient Egypt became the major foundation for which the way Egyptian and African history is taught in this day and time. The combination of the two dynamic kingdoms of Upper and Lower Egypt played a significant role in shaping Egypt’s impact on the early civilization of mankind. Before the unification can be explored, we must further understand the differences of the two kingdoms. This will allow us to better grasp the concept of how the two advanced kingdoms complemented one another during their unification. The geographical qualities/relationship with the Nile River, trade routes, symbols, and religious beliefs will be fully analyzed in order to compare and contrast the two kingdoms. King Narmer’s (Menes) role in the unification
... King Tutankhamen moved the capital back to Thebes and favored the older god Amen-Re. In the 19th Dynasty arose the greatest pharaoh, Ramses II. Ramses achieved a period of temporary peace. In this period he spent time and money on luxurious building projects.
The first ruler during this period, an Egyptian by the name of King Amhose I, overthrew the foreign conquerors and drove them out, establishing control and unifying both Upper and Lower Egypt. Once the Hyksos had been driven out, the Egyptian civilization began to regrow and prosper. However, this time the New Kingdom developed into a military-centric civilization, unlike the Middle Kingdom. Using the Hyksos military inventions, the Egyptians entered a period of rapid military expansion, conquering other people and, consequently, becoming the first Egyptian Empire. Instead of just focusing on trading and commerce, the New Kingdom combined military expansion and diplomacy with foreign trade to become a major international force, conquering Nubia to the south and Palestine to the north, although they were never able to conquer their archenemies, the Hittites. It was also during the New Kingdom that the term “Pharaoh” was adopted by the ruler of Egypt, starting with Thutmose III. A although kings were considered to be the “mouthpiece of god”, the title pharaoh mean that the ruler himself/herself was a physical manifestation of a god. During the reign of the Pharaohs, Egyptian society grew and flourished for almost 500 years, adopting customs and technology from other cultures and assimilating it. However, over time, Egypt weakened internally due to corruption, civil unrest, and foreign invasion. Eventually, invasions by the Sea People, the Assyrians, and the Berbers led to the overthrow of the New Kingdom and the end of ancient Egypt as a free
These peaceful and great times in Egypt lasted until about 1400 BCE when Amenhotep IV took to the throne. He is better known as Akhenaten which means “living spirit of Aten”. He only believed in one god which is contrast to many Egyptians’ beliefs. Even with the opposition, he still enforced the Egyptians to become monotheistic. He also moved the Egyptian capital from Thebes to Amarna to help with his monotheistic push. His time on the throne is known as the Amarna period. He was also known for being the first ruler to request a temple to be made for him and his wife.