Compare and contrast the political structure, the economy, social organization, and religion: ancient Mesopotamia and Egypt.?
They were both 'riverine' civilizations (along green lush rivers) otherwise surrounded by desert/ near desert. They both could grow marvelous abundance of crops/ food. They both relied on irrigation/ canals for their great farming. They both built pyramid type structures, temples, houses, buildings in stone and brick and dried mud. They both had a very important priest class. They were both highly advanced for their time in all things, including wealth, jewels, art, literature, culture, technology, science, trade. Differences...Egypt's great river (Nile) was peaceful and easy with on time predictable necessary Nile floods. Also Egypt had just about no hostile people or mountains near it. Mesopotamia...It's 2 great rivers were more rugged, could be fierce, with unpredictable and sometimes devastating floods. Mesopotamia was also open on it's SW, east, north to all kinds of savage less advanced hostile peoples and had mountains and mountain barbarians nearby. This difference in their geography and in hostile peoples, a gentle or hostile river(s) eventually made Egyptians and Mesopotamians quite different....the Mesopotamians being usually disunited, warlike, fierce, with often a negative outlook on life. Egyptians, united, mild, usually not warlike, positive world outlook.
Compare the civilizations of ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia to that of ancient Greece?
Firstly, Mesopotamia is an area - the Land Between Two Rivers - not a civilization. Egypt and the peoples of Mesopotamia (there were 3 major civilizations in the area at different time) were very different cultures, and both of them would need to be compared separately to ancient Greece. And as those civilizations lasted for so long, which period of each civilization are you wanting compared. The question seems rather vague. Could you be more specific? I've read a previous post, and I agree that there are many things to look at. They mention the differences in law between the Mesopotamians and Greece, which speaks to the evolution of thought and consideration for the common many in many areas of Greece. In Babylon, Hammurabi's Code called for an "eye for an eye" but that was only in the case of a gentleman. If you put out the eye of a common person all you had to do was pay some money, and if it was the eye of a slave, you paid an even smaller fine. We see this as brutal, but this sort of system reigned in many parts of the world for a very long time. Greece was not much better, save in very democratic cities like Athens. But then, the whole idea of democracy, which was quite revolutionary for the time, is quite limited by our modern conceptions of democracy. To get back to Hammurabi's code, though, what made it significant was that it was WRITTEN DOWN. It was the first set of recorded laws, and that made it accessible to more people. Now, in theory, everybody could know the laws and the punishments for breaking them. Cuneiform was the writing of the Mesopotamians, Hieroglyphs for the Egyptians and Greek for the Greeks. All three were written on clay tablets, carved into stone, and inked on paper-like scrolls. And while writing is amazing enough to write a paper on, art is another thing. When one compares the very static style of Egyptian sculpture to the very fluid style of Hellenistic sculpture, it inspires awe. The detail the Greeks put into sculpting the human body is amazing. Oh, there are so many things to compare - politics, religion, social structure, warfare, literature, technology, and medicine. I could go on for days, but I already graduated from college and I don't feel like writing another paper.
Ancient Mesopotamia and Ancient Egypt?
Very similar: both advanced, both preoccupied by the gods, by astrology and calendars, both with laws, both with traditions, both with water (the Nile for Egypt, the Tigris and the Euphrates for Mesopotamia), both having their economy import export under control, both having agriculture and artisans working at making tools, clothes, both having achieved the state of luxury and high degree in architecture, having slaves like every population and country at the time. However, a big distinction is the following: the Egyptians were happy people. For them when they died, there was something else, and after life. The Nile was pretty much regular in the rising of the water and then in the dry season. They were geographically isolated and protected by the delta and a difficult access from the sea. The Mesopotamians were extremely desperate. When they died, there was nothing. They viewed their lives as just a period of hard work for nothing. So, they were looking at the stars in the sky more so than the Egyptians and they became the first astronomers in History. They had a code of law, even before Hammurabi. Hammurabi just embellished and arranged the ones there were before him. Their rivers were not so dependable as the Nile and they were never sure if there would be a good season or not, much water or not. I guess they are the first ones to develop trenches to bring water on their fields from the rivers. They were very talented because of their desperation about their having no after life.
What are the economic similarities and differences of Mesopotamia and Ancient Egypt?
Similarities: Both economies were based on agriculture. Both relied upon irrigation from rivers (The Nile in Egypt and the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers in Mesopotamia) They both relied on the river to brings a fresh layer of soil each year. They both used the river as a highway to transport goods between communities up and own the rivers The grew many of the same crops and both turned barley into beer. Difference Egypt used slave labor as well as corvée labor in addition to farmers working for themselves The Mesopotamians didn't use slave labor because they didn't need it. Mesopotamians invented the plow and wheel.
What are some similarites and difference in Mesopotamia, Egypt, the Indus Valley?
i need help with comparing and contrasting the Mesopotamia, Egypt, the Indus Valley of primary urbanization. i need to compare their political, social, religious, and economic structures. I have started but this class is killing me and i am not sure if i have it right so i would be great if i could see how some one else compare them. thanks a bunch
Compare and Contrast Sumer and Ancient Egypt?
i have to write an essay comparing and contrasting Sumer and Ancient Egypt but i know like nothing about Sumer let alone differences and similarites between the two civilizations. help please