Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia

Mesopotamia and Egyptian Societies

SSWH1 a: Compare and contrast Mesopotamian and Egyptian societies, include: religion, culture, economics, politics, and technology.

Mesopotamian and Egyptian Societies

Mesopotamian and Egyptian civilizations developed in substantially different environments. Both developed along rivers, however flood patterns differed as well as the geography of the areas. These differences resulted in the development of starkly different outlooks on religion and political histories. 

Farming Technologies

Farming Villages emerged in both regions between 7000 and 5000 years ago. Over time the societies improved agricultural technologies such as irrigation canals. These improvements lead to population growth and the development of the first urban centers like Ur and Uruk in Mesopotamia and the kingdoms of Upper and Lower Egypt.  

Location of Development

Mesopotamia Mesopotamia developed in the fertile arch (known as the Fertile Crescent) along the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.   This desert region is prone to irregular flooding and lacks natural boundaries, making it a target for frequent invasions  

Egypt Egypt developed in the narrow fertile ribbon the banks of the Nile River.   The Nile had very regular flooding, and each time it deposited nutrient rich silt. This regularity was known as the gift of the Nile.   Egypt had natural boundaries that made invasions unusual. To the North and east large bodies of water and to the south and west vast deserts.  

Religion

Mesopotamians Both Egyptians and Mesopotamians were polytheistic with gods representing different aspects of nature.    Mesopotamian gods were viewed as unpredictable and often struck fear into the population. To try and win the gods' approval people had to do sacrifices and construct elaborate temples called Ziggurats.   Mesopotamians believed the afterlife was a fearful and gloomy place. 

Egyptians Both Egyptians and Mesopotamians were polytheistic with gods representing different aspects of nature.   Presented gods that could be depended on to provide bounty and prosperity.   Egyptians believed that good deeds in life were rewarded with an afterlife rich in the same pleasures as in life.   The Egyptians view on death and the afterlife led to elaborate burial practices that included the construction of tombs and mummification. 

Political History

Mesopotamia Frequently changing, politically wise   The first phase of political history, known as Sumer, dominated by several independent and often warring city states, each with its own hereditary monarchy.   Each city state had a walled urban area made up of a simple mud brick dwellings and a ceremonial and administrative center dominated by a Ziggurat. Outside of the city walls, each city-state controlled the large areas of surrounding farmland land.    Around 4,000 years ago the King of Akkad, Sargon, conquered this region creating the world's first empire. This empire however was relatively short-lived as several waves of invasion shifted political power.   One group that gained power, the babylonians, brought important political innovation when they unified the region in the 18th century BCE. The Babylonian king, Hammurabi introduced the world's first written law code which limited the arbitrary justice of earlier kings.   The old Babylonian Empire was known for flowering in mathematics and literature. However like the Mesopotamian empires before, Babylonians fell to invasion leading to a series of warring empires. These empires included the Hitties, the Assyrians, and the Persians.

Political History 

Egypt Egypt protected by vast desert and seas saw far fewer invasions and as a result had a remarkably stable political history for over 2,000 years.   The history began about 3000 BCE with the unification of Upper and Lower Egypt into a single kingdom ruled by a divine hereditary monarch known as the pharaoh.    The pharaohs were aided by an elaborate bureaucracy that included priests, administrators, and scribes. The government was able to undertake elaborate public works projects like the pyramids.    Egyptian history is divided into sections: The Old Kingdom (2649 - 2150 BCE), The First Intermediate Period, Middle Kingdom (2030 - 1640), The Second Intermediate Period, and The New Kingdom (1550 - 1070 BCE). The Intermediate periods mark the only major times instability in Egypt before 1070 BCE.   During The Second Intermediate period, Egypt experienced its first major invasion from the Hyksos of Mesopotamia who introduced the region to horses, chariots, and the compound bow.   After 1070 the political histories of Egypt and Mesopotamia intersected as they both experienced invasions from groups like the Hitties, Assyrians, and Persians. 

Social Classes

Fertile river valleys combined with technological advances like irrigation canals and plows allowed both Mesopotamia and Egypt to produce a surplus of food.   With an agricultural surplus, both empires developed specialization of labor which in turn led to the development of social classes.   Both societies had the same basic social hierarchy with the royal family at the top, followed by priests, government officials, landowners, soldiers, and scribes constituting a ruling class followed by merchants and artisans in the middle and peasant farmers at the bottom.    Mesopotamia tended to rely more heavily on slave labor but Egypt developed a slave class made up mostly of foreigners later in its history. This specialization of labor allowed both societies to make notable cultural and technological advances.   Both Mesopotamia and Egypt developed complex systems of writing, cuneiform, and hieroglyphics respectively. Both also developed advanced literary, artistic, and architectural traditions including The Epic of Gilgamesh from Mesopotamia.