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Compare and contrast mesopotamia and indus valley
Compare and contrast mesopotamia and indus valley
Mesopotamia and the Indus Valley
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From 3,000 B.C.E to 1,500 B.C.E, in Southwestern Asia and the Middle East, Mesopotamia and the Indus River Valley civilization differed in their legal systems but, shared similarities in their city-states. Their political systems were theocracies, their religion and government worked together. City-states were a shared correlation of the Mesopotamian Civilization and the Indus River Valley Civilization. Located within these city states, urban centers thrived. No single ruler ran these civilizations instead, each city-state was represented by picked officials. Within the city-states, social classes were prevalent, with priests being at the top for both civilizations. These civilizations are similar because of their city-states and the many
The ancient cultures of Mesopotamia and Egypt developed into successful civilizations. One civilization the Egyptians developed was in the Nile River valley. Based off the "Mesopotamia and Egypt DBQ" packet, "Ancient Egypt was an advanced civilization in many areas including religion, architecture, transportation, and trade. Ancient Mesopotamia was one of the first civilizations that developed a form of government as well as organized people in political states." Based on the documents, Egypt and Mesopotamia developed into successful and advanced civilizations by effectively using the resources that surrounded them to solve problems and live happily.
These civilizations present many resemblances that were once part of the foundations of their society. Although both of these civilizations were at one point enemies of one another, they had similar correlations that shaped and formed their cultures and societies. The main difference between these two civilizations is religion. Without its differences, each civilization had governed its people in manners that it could not be differentiated among each other. Overall, these civilizations presented different methods of leading a civilization and still had similarities among one another.
In conclusion, it was the shape of the Nile, the promotion for goods, and harmonic style of government, led by pharaoh that formed Egypt into a more politically unified society. For Mesopotamia, it was the unpredictable Tigris and Euphrates, the money hungry tax routes, and the independence of powerful rulers that made Mesopotamia into a place where being politically divided could threaten the existence of society. Even though both states shared a common goal to overcome the hardships in running a state, it was the people from both states that determined the unity of their state. I think the catchphrase, “United we stand, divided we fall,” is the thing for a society to remember in order to be more unified.
The Egyptian and Mesopotamian religion and society were similar, but their government/leadership was different. Religion in Egypt and Mesopotamia were very similar because both faiths were polytheistic and had priestly authority. Both cultures had powerful priests, both had a belief of an afterlife, and religion was part of their daily lives. Both societies had similar rigid social classes, relied on slavery; both also had a religion which played an important role in their daily lives. Although, their societies were very common, they still had some differences in government. The Egypt, the government was a theocracy, whereas the government in Mesopotamia was run by a monarchy. Despite their similarities, the differences between these two civilizations were most likely a result of unique geographical and topographical conditions.
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.
Both societies had started out in the same way, as city-states. A city-state is a city that with its surrounding territory forms an independent state. The creators of Mesopotamian society were the Sumerians; around 3000B.C.E. they had established a number of independent cities in southern Mesopotamia (Spielvogel 7). In 750 B.C.E. the Greek society began to bombard, and it all started with the polis, or city-state (Spielvogel 60).
River valley civilization are the civilizations that first thrived and controlled the world. We have gone over four river valley civilizations; Mesopotamia, Egypt, Indus, and China. In this paper we will go into detail on how these were similar and how they were different. Before we begin we have to learn about the three things that all civilizations are built upon and they are; Oceans/Lakes, Rivers/Streams/Creeks, and Trade Routes/Railroads. We are also going to look at another three things; Government, Religion, and how they tried to control nature. So here we go!
The ancient civilizations of Mesopotamia and Egypt began to develop circa 3,000 B.C. Located near rivers, the lands offered fertile soil and an excess of crops that drew in many people. As more people arrived, the small settlements flourished into large, thriving civilizations. Many aspects of Mesopotamia and Egypt, such as their cities, their strongly organized government, and their religion, greatly contributed to the success of these two civilizations.
A consistent characteristic among the first civilizations was social stratification. In most of the first civilizations, social hierarchies included kings, the elites, the working class, and slaves. Social stratification was evident in the Mesopotamian and Egyptian societies based off of the documents from the Babylonian Empire, The Law Code of Hammurabi, and the Egyptian student text, Be a Scribe. In the document The Law Code of Hammurabi, soldiers, farmers, salves, and other jobs are mentioned (96-97). In the document Be a Scribe, farmers, cobblers, soldiers, and various other jobs are mentioned (100-101). It is significant that these jobs are mentioned in both documents because it illustrates the similarities in these civilization’s social hierarchies. But, the similarities in their social structures do not end there. Special treatment based off of social standing was a consistent factor in both of these civilizations as well. This is clearly exemplified in Mesopotamia with the harshness of punishments for crimes being dependent on class (97). In Egypt, evidence of special treatment based off of social stratification is insinuated in the document Be a Scribe. This document delves into the negatives of having low class jobs and encourages people to become educated to grow in class rank (101). Despite these similarities, these two civilizations still held vastly different values and
In the years between 3000 B.C.E to 1500 C.E., there were two civilizations, both with thousands of miles between them, but they had many similarities along with many differences . Those civilizations were Shang/Zhou China and Egypt. What they had in common was that they were both on major rivers and that they both had their economies based on farming on the silt their rivers left behind when they were flooded. Their difference was that China and Egypt had different currency.
Similar to Mesopotamia, Egypt, and the Indus Valley; China also developed along a river. China’s civilization developed between two rivers that brought water and silt to make farming possible. Cities began to grow along the banks of the river. The two rivers are the Chang Jiang, also known as the Yangtze, which is located in central China. The other river is the Huang He, which is to the north and is also known as the Yellow River. In about 1766 B.C., Shang family kings started to control some cities. They set up a dynasty. In the Shang culture, respect for their parents and ancestors was extremely important. Family was closely bound to religion. The Chinese believed that their ancestors' spirits could bring good fortune to the family. In order to receive messages from the gods and their ancestor’s spirits, they communicated through oracle bones. These are animal bones or turtle shells where Shang royal priests would scratch questions on it. Next, they touched the bones with heated rods to make them crack, and if it cracked on one of the answers then that would mean that that is the answer.
Civilization can be defined as a complex structure in which large numbers of people share several common elements such as social structure, religion, and culture. These civilizations live together in settlements, towns, and cities. The Mesopotamian society and Ancient Egypt were both similar, yet distinct civilizations. Their society, religion, and culture had many disparities, but both had many similar underlying themes.
The three empires have their differences and their similarities to their own development throughout the years, which has helped their civilization become stronger and more advanced.
Mesopotamian civilization exercised profound and cultural influence throughout west Asia and beyond for about 3,000 years. Mesopotamia had many independent city-states with its own government and ruler. Priests ruled these city-states with other administrators such as organizers and managers. Since turmoil and tension would often arise between the city-states, Mesopotamian Political Unification was rarely achieved. Mesopotamia was constantly invaded by foreigners who would incorporate their culture into newly society and form a new one by force.
Cities are the central feature of a civilization. The first cities emerged shortly after farmers began cultivating fertile lands along river valleys and producing surplus foods. These surpluses allowed the population to expand. As population grew, some villages expanded into cities. These cities rose independently in the valleys of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.