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
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.
Due to the main river systems in Egypt (Nile) and Mesopotamia (Tigris & Euphrates) both civilizations from around the 6 Millennium BCE began to grew crops such as wheat, barley, vegetables, figs, melons, pomegranates, vines, beans, lettuce, sesame seeds etc. The term Fertile Crescent was popularized by the American Orientalist James Henry Breasted.There is an enormous amount of information on the internet for anyone to access. Below are just three such examples:http://www.mesopotamia.co.uk/sta...https://www.ancient.eu/article/9...http://www.mesopotamia.co.uk/
Difference between Egyptian and Mesopotamian art?
In Mesopotamia there was insufficiency of stone. That's why a clay tablets and bricks were used. In Egyptian art on the other hand there was abundant number of stone monuments. Also Egyptians had specific style of picturing a figures. They refused to create the profiles of the whole body. This means - only legs and heads were pictures from the one side. The central part of a body and the hands were pictured from the front side.
Egypt and Mesopotamia are among the top 5 oldest civilizations of the world. The main common points are that:They both date back to their emergence roughly 3000 B.C.They both were super powers of the ancient world, conquering their neighbours strategicallyThey both engineered some of the worlds oldest standing structures (Great Pyramid of Giza, and the Ziggurat of Ur)They both practiced polytheismBoth their people are lost in history. It disputed to what happened to them exactlyBoth had dictatorial leaders (King Ramsees, Nimrod, Nebuchadnezzar, list goes on…)There are a lot more than this, but this is the gist of their common history.
Why does Mesopotamian civilization seem so grim and joyless compared to Egyptian civilization?
I find Mesopotamian History to be fascinating. I find certain aspects of Egyptian history to be fascinating as well. I am not sure exactly what you mean by "grim and joyless" when referring to Mesopotamian history. I will assume you are asking why life seemed to have been relatively more tragic, violent, and diffucult in Mesopotamia than in Egypt. On the most basic level, I attribute this contrast simply to geographic influences. These cultural hearths developed in fertile areas with access with to water -- Egypt in the Nile Valley, and Mesopotamia along the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. Life in ancient Egypt was considerably more stable than life in Mesopotamia. Egypt is geographically sheltered. Egyptian government and society was greatly isolated by deserts on the East and West, treacherous cataracts along the southern portions of the Nile, and the Mediterranean Sea to North. Egyptians enjoyed a more peaceful existence (evidenced by long periods of dynastic rule). The predictable, annual flooding of the Nile insured a more consistent food supply. Naturally, reliable food production and a stable political, economic, and social system fosters a more pleasant existance. In contrast, Mesopotamia did not share in the same good fortune. Mesopotamia lacked the natural barriers that sheltered the Nile Valley. The fertile land along the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers was at a premium. Typically, rainfall was low, so farmers depended on irrigation to grow crops. Violent struggles for land and water access were common. Unpredictable weather and devestating floods often led to crop shortages. This is evidenced by a long history of warfare and political upheaval. Ancient Mesopotamians explained the natural world around them through the various and often malicious deities. Existence in Mesopotamia was brutal and unstable. While the Egyptians viewed the Pharoah as both a religious and political leader, it is obvious why priests held a more important role in early Ancient Mesopotamian society than did the kings.The relative ease and stability of life play an important role in the underlying tones found in a civilization (i.e. religion, literature, government, social structure, art etc...)