Some of the first civilizations are made up of societies that share qualities and have differences. The similarities and differences are what bring them together, and separate them. The Indus River valley and Sumer are the same way, they have similarities that make them close and differences that make them unique. There are many similarities and differences between these two. The Indus River Valley and Sumer have differences between the two such as, religion, political, and their language. They also share many similarities such as, economics, artistics, and social classes.
Ancient Egypt has had many great discoveries and natural resources from their land that have really changed their society. One of the most important resources to them was the Nile river Valley. It has been said that without the Nile river Egyptian Civilization would not have been possible (Life along the Nile).
The Ancient Israelites and the Mesopotamians are both early societies in the Middle East. These societies have similar social similarities, such as having the society being patriarchal. They also had the same political laws such as men were recognized as the head of the household. Another similarity is with inheritance. Usually men would inherit property, money, or other values. They both had organized and centralized religion.
Life in the ancient river valley civilizations was different for each region. A perfect example would be the Egyptians river and the Yellow river both are river valley civilizations but each have different geography, social structures, beliefs, gender roles, literature, weapons and technology.
The Yellow and Yangzi river valley people of China during Shang times were prosperous civilizations in their time. In addition, so were the Egyptians and Nubians on the Nile River. Both groups of peoples had their own traditions and ways of living, based on environment and where they migrated from. While these civilizations are quite different, they have more in common than some would realize. While they differ in religious views and political organization, the Chinese and Egyptians have similar agricultural practices and writing systems.
Ancient Egypt could not have existed without the river Nile. Since rainfall is almost non-existent in Egypt, the floods provided the only source of moisture sustain crops. Hapi was the Nile god. Honoring a god was very important. when a flood came, the Egyptians would thank Hapi for bringing fertility to the land. The Egyptians depended on the Nile River. The Nile river was one of Egypt’s biggest resource. The Nile River is important because it provides Egypt with irrigation, power, a steady water supply and rich soil. It was the lifeblood of ancient Egyptian transport, agriculture, and remains crucial for sustaining life in the barren deserts of Egypt today. At over 4,000 miles long, it is the longest river The Nile River makes agriculture, fishing and boating possible in Egypt. It floods annually, leaving behind nutrient-rich silt than can be used for growing
While both Egypt and Mesopotamia were both ancient desert societies, their differences were great, and expanded far past their location on a map. Agriculture, relationships with outsiders, and especially their religious customs, were all deeply affected by the land that these civilizations were founded
Every civilization throughout history has their ups and downs. What if these ups and downs could all be connected back to one main factor, to one influence? Throughout history, it can be noticed that the location of a civilization affects the shape of its culture, economy, trade, and security of its borders. It defines which societies rise to power and which lose power. Geography influences history in many ways, as can be seen in the Indus Valley, Greece, and Aksum civilizations. The Indus Valley built large mud walls and drainage systems to lessen the effects of massive flooding. In Greece, many wars occurred between city states due to the differences in culture caused by separation by mountain ranges. In Aksum, they utilized their access to different bodies of water to become the head of trade. Each of these civilizations utilized their geography and its advantages, but also eventually fell victim to its disadvantages.
The land along the Nile and delta was arable and very good for farming, while the rest of the land was dry like a desert. (Document 2-1) So, the land near the Nile became the perfect environment for a civilization to commence. Although the Nile floods provided silt, allowing crops to grow, the floods also destroyed villages and killed many people. Despite this, so much success was found in Egypt
After the Neolithic Revolution Era, civilizations in Asia and Northeast Africa started to form. All of the civilizations in that area were located near water, so that’s why they were all called, River Valley Civilizations. The most advanced ancient river valley civilization was the Indus Valley Civilization. According to Document 5, it states that “While the cities of Ancient Mesopotamia and Egypt were built with very little planning...the cities of the Indus Valley were sophisticatedly planned. The cities were built on a grid system.” With this specific planning of their city, it was easier for people to live their lives. The Indus Valley is built on this type of system, showed they were more sophisticated than other civilizations.
Ancient Mesopotamia and Ancient Egypt were two early human civilizations that lived during the bronze age in harsh desert environments located not far from each other. Both civilizations were built around rivers that they depended on for survival. There is evidence that these rivers had great influence on both the societies politics and culture. Egypt was built around the very strong and reliable Nile River. Ancient Mesopotamia was established in the fertile crescent between the less reliable Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. During the bronze age both Ancient Mesopotamians and Ancient Egyptians developed forms of religion that highly reflected their habitat. They had many similarities in their politics even though they had completely different forms of government. Both societies were also known for their discoveries in art and technology. They developed their own forms of writing, different tools and architecture.
There are many similarities and differences between the early civilizations of the Middle East and India. The early Middle East civilizations will include Mesopotamia and Egypt. Mesopotamia was founded in 3300 BC, and Egypt was founded around 3000 BC. India was founded around 2500 BC. So these civilizations were founded all around the same time. There are many similarities and differences in their political characteristics, social/cultural characteristics, and economic characteristics.
Civilization is the cooperation between individuals within a region. The first civilizations were Mesopotamian and Egyptian civilizations. Both civilizations acquired a different environment. However, their environment promoted religion, specifically polytheism. Although their environments were different, both civilizations were in harmony about the existence of many gods. Religion played an important role in civilization as government laws and divine kingship derived from it. Both civilizations were quite similar, but acquired some differences unique to each civilization. These differences include the environment, divine kingship, and sense of security from either nature or law. The idea and practices of ancient Mesopotamia originated from the Sumerians. Moreover, both Mesopotamian and Egyptian civilization diffused their practices and ideas to other ancient civilizations like the Hebrews and the Greeks. The laws from the Mesopotamian civilization were diffused into the Hebrew civilization as the Exodus. Both Mesopotamian and Egyptian civilization also influenced the Greeks with the idea that the gods were in control of the fate of humans and the environment. In addition, the Greek idea of gods evolved, which was not identical to both Mesopotamian and Egyptian civilizations.
Compare and contrast the ancient civilizations of Mesopotamia and Egypt. Point out the similarities and the differences in geography, religion, social structure, political systems, economy, status of women, and other factors, and explain the effect of these differences and similarities upon each civilization.
According to the section of the textbook titled "The Emergence of Civilization" there are a number of proposed causes to why civilizations developed. One theory, for instance, suggests that material forces such as agriculture allowed for a unified community that demanded a specialization of labor. A second argument contradicts the former, claiming that nonmaterial forces (particularly, religion) influenced the establishment of these complex cultures. Yet other historians believe that certain challenges (possibly environmental) forced humans to develop an organized and civilized society. Overall, however, all theories agree on the fact that civilizations were a response to sustain the needs and beliefs of growing human societies. For example, these establishments allowed for an emphasis on a distinct religious structure, a social division based on affluence, as well as an economy that focused largely on trade with neighboring peoples. Such aspects would not have been present in prior small agricultural settlements, since they are much smaller (in size comparison) and less complex.