Ancient Mesopotamia"Land between the rivers" (3500 B.C.E) and Ancient China(as early as 3500 B.C.E) are two of the many civilizations in history. Both civilizations left evidence of their way of life and accomplishment Mesopotamia ranging from the 12- month calendar, plow, cuneiform, ziggurats and number system based of on 60 count. China from ink, pictographs martial arts, great wall of China, and the art of porcelain. Mesopotamia had several civilizations within its own such as Assyrians, Sumerians, Babylonians etc.
Ancient Mesopotamia and Ancient China shared the same type of government. Although Ancient Mesopotamia began ruling its lands with priest kings eventually came to rule just as Ancient China, both civilization believed kings had divine approval. Social classes among both civilization followed the upper class, middle class, lower class structure. Upper class among the two consisted of the higher gods, kings, priest etc. Middle class consisted of peasant farmers, merchants, fisherman etc. Lower class consisted of slaves, lower gods and many more. Mesopotamia followed "Hammurabi's code of Law" and China followed "Confucius Golden rule"
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They looked up to the forces of nature such as rain, wind, water and sun. Mesopotamia civilization believed that the forces of nature are inhabited by spirits. This was known as animism. This also went hand in hand with their cosmological point of view. Ancient China agricultural communities linked local spirits with natural forces. Although China held great spiritual appreciation for the gods of nature its most powerful, and divine of the spirits were those of deceased ancestors who they believed rested in heaven and served as a link between earth and heaven. This relationship of believing in many gods was expressed through worshiping ancestors, and sacrificial rituals for the many
Before 600 CE, the veneration of ancestors was common in both Roman and Chinese religions and religious ideology. During this time period, the Roman also commonly venerated figures such as Caesar and Jesus while the Chinese seemed to care more for ancestors and the concept of filial piety. Within this time period, the more traditional religious ideologies of Rome (which were polytheistic) would be challenged by the introduction of the universalizing religion of Christianity while Chinese religious ideologies would remain comparatively stagnant. While the religions of Rome during this time period included both polytheistic and monotheistic ideologies, traditional Chinese religions believed in a unifying deity referred to as Heaven. The traditional
The ancient Chinese people worshipped in shrines and sacred areas. Archaeologists have found altars inside these areas connecting the people of China with the overworld of the gods. These gods were called Shen and Yi. There are many Shen
Both the Mesopotamians and Chavin had polytheistic beliefs. The Mesopotamians built their cities around temples, which is similar to what the Chavin did. This centralized everything around worshiping their gods. They had high status level priests that were responsible for appeasing the gods in favor of themselves and other people in their society. The Mesopotamians would ask their gods for rain to help their crops because they believed that their deities controlled the climate.
Rome from 71 BCE to 476 BCE and Han China from 206 BCE to 220 BCE are two very well-known classical empires. These two empires have similarities and differences in their political systems, religion, and social structure. The romans had a democratic government whereas China had a singular ruler. Imperial Rome was monotheistic and Han China was polytheistic. While they both had similar class structures, China had a three tiered social system and the Romans only had two divisions in their class structure.
The Rule of Heaven While many cultures in the Neolithic Age developed in the Middle East such as Egypt, Mesopotamia, and the Indus Valley since 8000 B.C., the Chinese civilization evolved rapidly in under the Shang and Zhou dynasties. As any civilization in that period, providing safety and economic wealth were the main duties for any ruler; however, the Chinese early political system was little different than other civilizations. For instance, in Egypt, the pharaoh was viewed as a living God and his dynasty should rule until it is unable to. On the other hand, the Chinese believed in the Mandate of Heaven, a philosophical idea or a belief that heaven chooses the emperors to rule based on their ability to govern fairly and if they do not fulfill their obligations then they lose the Mandate and the right to be
In conclusion, the ancient civilizations of Egypt, Rome and China maintained a strict social hierarchy, which was important for running stable, progressive and well-culturally preserved societies. The key elements that played a role in achieving that were the well-defined social order, the substantial social and economic inequality and the distinctive social norms. In each of the three civilizations, the classes were visible and there was no room for chaos, because strict laws were in place. Inequality ensured the movement forward, but social norms provided order and kept the hierarchical pyramid in place. Without the vital feature of the social hierarchy, it would not be possible for the societies to preserve their traditions and ensure continuity
The Qin and Han dynasty had the same social classes due to confucianism. It can be described as a sophisticated and vague for each class. It was a 4 tiered system that consists of Emperor/Government, Peasants, Artisans and Merchants (Higher class to lower class). The Emperor was the head of the whole pyramid, no one could address him, nor the empress by their first name or they would face punishment.
The early civilizations of Mesopotamia, Egypt, India, China, and the Americas that thrived near the year 3500 BCE, were known as the river valley civilizations. These civilizations were mainly patriarchal societies, due to the rise of agriculture; therefore, their political positions were held by upper-class males, and their domestic responsibilities were held by women. Due to trade, their cultures, religions, and technology were fairly similar. Mesopotamia and Egypt both contributed to modern technology with the Egyptian pyramids, and Mesopotamian arithmetic, but they differ in their location which lead them to have a different views of the afterlife.
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.
Politics and social class in Classical China was quite different compared to Classical India. At this time, politics in the ancient time was mostly monarchy and created a strong bureaucracy. Monarchy in Classical China were mostly based upon of the fact of the dynasties. Some famous emperors from this time was Qin Shi Huangdi from the Qin Dynasty and Wu Ti from the Han Dynasty. Qin Shi Huangdi centralized government by putting his people and the system was based on loyalty, trust.
China, up until the Qin Dynasty, consisted of independent states controlled by kings fighting each other for land and power. This time period was called The Era of Warring States, which lasted two hundred years. After this time, the Qin Dynasty rose to power. They conquered all other dynasties, and established a centralized government, unifying China for the first time. The dynasty that succeeded the Qin, the Han, continued the centralized government and they started a westward expansion that would encourage trade and cultural diffusion.
With the rivers located just by ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia, both civilizations’ culture depended on agriculture, and were formed around agricultural communities which supplied them with food. In Egypt, the annual flooding of the Nile contributed to their development in agriculture, while Mesopotamians depended on the Euphrates river, which was less dependable than the Nile because of its unpredictable flooding. The flooding of the two rivers in ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia left a fertile layer of soil, making it easier to plant crops and allowing both communities to depend on their rivers for
The rivers that these civilizations were built around directly impacted the way they viewed their gods. The Nile was a very strong and reliable river. It flooded annually blessing the Ancient Egyptians with a richer agriculture then Ancient Mesopotamians. (pg 17) Because of this the Egyptians viewed their gods as reliable beings who wanted to help them.
During the Classical Era in Eurasia, both China and India had social hierarchies that were based upon their religions, Confucianism, and Hinduism, although they both shared this trait, the social hierarchy in China allowed for social mobility while the caste system
China also had a type of religion that was called Daoism. Daoism taught that we need to be one with nature and be in harmony with one