Linda Xheleshi
SLS 240
Prof Bryan Averbuch
3/17/17
Early Complex Societies
Some of the earliest civilizations sprung up along the banks of rivers and river valleys. These were mainly agricultural civilizations and the reason for being close to a river or a water body was that the river not only provided water for irrigating their crops but also provided water for drinking, washing, cleaning and bathing. Land is fertile near rivers as well, so the crops grew better and livestock flourished. The river was a focal point of their settlement. Such agricultural civilizations were the civilization in Harappa, which was in the valley of River Indus and the Egyptian civilization, along the bank of River Nile.
The Harappan Society was named after
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They also traded with Mesopotamians. Their trade goods included leather, olive oil, ivory, gem stones and copper. They traded over land and also used the Arabian Sea to transport goods and to travel.
The ruins of Harappa show that the rich and poor lived in different dwellings. “Many people lived in one-room tenements in barracks like structures, but there were also individual houses with several dozen rooms and multiple courtyards.” (Bentley 79) The Harappans built their own wells and built in brick ovens. They had private bathrooms with toilets and well-built sewage systems. The Harappan sewage systems were one of the most refined and modern among the ancient world. This shows that they invested in community resources.
The Harappan writing, however, has not been well deciphered even though a few inscriptions and symbols have been found. Scholars were able to translate only a very small number of symbols so it is hard to interpret Harappan values and beliefs, which appears to revolve around multiple gods and goddesses. They recognized a mother goddess and held trees and animals sacred but due to the lack of written scriptures, not much is known about their beliefs and
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Their geographical location in the world is different but the time of their establishment is same. Most important similarity between the two is that they were both fundamentally agricultural civilizations and were centered on a river. “Regular floods created the fertile Nile Delta- hippopotami, crocodiles, fish, birds, papyrus” (lecture 3) They both used boats and irrigation. They both had warm climates. The remains of Egyptians’ writings have explained much about their religious beliefs and political system, little of which is known about the Harappans. The Harappans do not have glorious pyramids or palaces like the Egyptians but had excellent sewage systems which are not found in the Egyptian civilization. Both civilizations declined at some point in time and turned into ruins which are a source of great information about our predecessors on Earth and provide us with knowledge of how the ancient civilizations evolved into the world we live in
China such as white silk, gold, perfume, and even porcelain. They traded all of these
The first civilization to rise was the Mesopotamia, located in present day Iraq, between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers, and Egypt, along the Nile River. It’s split in two ecological zones. In the south Babylonia (irrigation is vital) and north Assyria (agriculture is possible with rainfall and wells). By 4000 B.C.E., people had settled in large numbers in the river-watered lowlands of Mesopotamia and Egypt. Archaeologists have shown that large-scale irrigation appeared only long after urban civilization had already developed, meaning major waterworks were a consequence of urbanism (population). Mesopotamia cities were made of people called the Summerians in the land of Sumer located on the south of Babylonia. The Summerian city was one of
The ancient cultures of Mesopotamia and Egypt are a factor of the evolution of civilizations in present-day. Though, it wouldn’t occur if both of these ancient civilizations didn’t develop into successful ones. There are three similar components that led Ancient Egypt and Ancient Mesopotamia to become prosperous. These are the locations, their way of life, and their beliefs. All of these elements will be explored more thoroughly throughout this essay.
Egypt and Mesopotamia were two of the world’s earliest city-based civilizations, creating the basis for Middle Eastern and Western history. Both Egyptian and Mesopotamian civilizations existed on the banks of major rivers. While Egyptian civilization thrived along the Nile, Mesopotamia settled between the Tigris and the Euphrates. Although they shared this characteristic, it was also the cause of many of their differences in political systems, religions, and social stability.
All civilizations require advanced cities, complex institutions, record keeping, specialized workers, and advanced technology. Mesopotamia and the Indus River Valley were two of the earliest civilizations that had all five of these qualities. Mesopotamia or “the land between two rivers” was between the two major rivers, Tigris and Euphrates, and is now modern day Iraq. Mesopotamia was founded around 3500 B.C, although people started settling there around 4500 B.C. The Indus River Valley was between the Ganges rivers and the north-western area of what is now India and Pakistan. Although, geography is only one similarity between the two civilizations, they also had many similar political, social, and economic qualities.
Two of the earliest and greatest civilizations, Mesopotamia and Egypt, show the transition from a Paleolithic society into a settled civilization. Both cultures had established kings; however, the Pharaoh is the god-king of Egypt, while in Mesopotamia the monarchs are priest-kings whom serve the gods. Although Mesopotamia and Egypt have some characteristics in common, which bring them under the “First Civilizations” category, their different views and beliefs about divine authority and how it is practiced set these civilizations apart and make them unique.
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.
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.
The Mesopotamian people valued a strict, rules-oriented society. This can be seen by examining the Mesopotamian social classes, government and job specialization. In The Code of Hammurabi, created by the King of Babylon in 1780 B.C.E. it was evident that there were rules for every thing, and every thing you do has a consequence. The Mesopotamian life style was very rigid; this lifestyle can lead to disputes and outbreaks, which can have negative consequences in society.
Ancient Mesopotamian and Egyptian civilizations would not be as successful as they were without living by the Tigris, Euphrates, and Nile rivers. Rivers shaped the development of civilization in ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia by how they utilized the floods, what they traded, their views on religion, and controlling the rivers.
During the time of early civilizations people were creating communities, societies, cultures, political structures and religions all new to our world. It was trying times and ages of awakenings. Religion played a major part role in the history of our world and mankind some of the religions discovered at this time are still practiced today, and some have faded away. The two early civilizations that stand out to me are Mesopotamia and India. Although the two share some similarities, the differences in religious beliefs between Mesopotamia and India are clear.
The Egyptians honored the river for providing food for them by nourishing the land and making it fertile with its yearly flooding. The Nile also provided for quick transportation between Upper and Lower Egypt, allowing for Menes, the King of Upper Egypt, to unite the two and creating the first unified state. In the Indus River Valley civilization the river is also given honor as it can be reflected by one Indian name for “river”: lok-mata or “mother of the people.” The Indian people’s way of life was also defined by the monsoon, a seasonal wind. This shows the similarities in the civilizations areas that led to their early uprisings, common for all ancient civilizations, is a river to provide for food and water, so that they may become farmers and cultivate the land in a single settled area. Rivers and a water source were most important for these ancient civilizations as it can be seen, that gods were thought of to provide for them, leading to polytheism in these
Abounding similarities exist between the Mesopotamian and Greek societies. As history progresses many cultural advances occur, but societies also adopt some of the same characteristics as preceding societies, you will notice this between the Mesopotamian and Greek civilizations. After learning about the Greek civilizations I immediately began generating connections to Mesopotamian societies. I noticed similarities in all aspects of society, whether it was religion, military, architecture or any other cultural idiosyncrasies.
All the way from the start of civilization through to the Early Christianity there has been a pantheon of; destruction, recognition, wars, cultural diffusion, religious breakthroughs, laws that have been established, kings and queens crowned and dethroned. The Mesopotamian Civilization it was the land between two rivers the Tigris and the Euphrates Rivers that civilization first began.
Approximately 5500 years ago four of the worlds' most prestigious ancient river civilizations had emerged. Our world has been left in astonishment and awe wondering how these civilizations were developed. Egypt and Mesopotamia were the first ancient river civilizations to create cities and their own ways of living. Society, geography, and religion played an enormous role in the development of the ancient cities. Although there is evidence of early Sumerian contact with the Egyptians, Egypt's civilization was largely self-generated and its history and cultural patterns differed from Mesopotamia.