Compare And Contrast Mayan And Egyptian Civilization

Throughout time civilizations have risen and collapsed. Some were conquered while others simply disappeared. The Egyptian civilization thrived near the Nile River from 3000 B.C. and was later conquered by the Persian Empire around 525 B.C. In the other hand, the Mayan civilization developed in Yucatan Peninsula around 200 B.C., and mysterious disappeared around 900 A.D. However, these two cultures share many factors in common such as developing calendars and building pyramids. Even though civilizations developed in different time periods, they can still have many factors in common such as environment, language, and architecture. Although the two civilizations flourished in different parts of the world, their environment shared some common features. As noted before, the Mayans thrived in the Yucatan peninsula, which is made up of jungles and lowlands. While, the Egyptians lived in the Sahara Desert near the fertile lands of the Nile River. However, their locations provided them with humid climate and natural resources like limestone. Using limestone, the Egyptians built massive pyramids such as the ones in Giza, Egypt. The Mayans, in the other hand, used limestone for the construction of irrigation canals and terraces for farming.

Both cultures beliefs were centred around their gods. For this reason, most of their architecture had some sort of religious background. The Egyptian, as well as the Mayan built pyramids; although their intention of use differed. The purpose behind the Egyptians pyramids were to be used as burial sites for pharaohs and the royal families. In the other hand, the Mayans constructed pyramids for sacrificial purposes, as well as for worshiping gods. In the end, both cultures constructed religious monuments through their empire, such temples and statues to worship their