Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia- Comparative Essay
Egypt and Mesopotamia Many of the world’s first civilisations developed at many different times and places, however some emerged simultaneously. Although it’s quite hard to tell, scientists have been able to roughly estimate the time cities first became civilised. It is arguable as to what civilisation began initially, however it is assured that Egypt and Mesopotamia were two of the first. These two civilisations progressed along major rivers that affected the settlement and everyday lives of the ancient Egyptians and Mesopotamians. Due to their geographical positioning, Egypt and Mesopotamia both developed and depended on irrigation, however their different rainfall patterns caused them to progress individual techniques for agricultural practices in regards to irrigation.
Egypt began around 5000-3000 BC in the valley of the Nile River situated in north eastern Africa. It was divided into two sections known as Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt. These names can be quite deceiving as Upper Egypt is actually situated in the south of Egypt, and Lower Egypt is in the north. This is because the Egyptians based their direction around the Nile, and the Nile flowed from south to north, being one of the only major rivers in the world to do so. To the west of the Nile lay the Western Desert, a huge limestone plateau at a height of 450 metres, taking up two thirds of Egypt. To the east of the Nile is the Eastern Desert, which is stated by Ade`s (2007, p. 8) to be, “…a rugged, mountainous region notched by deep wadis that remain dry for much of the year...” . These deserts along with the Nile acted as a natural barrier to Egypt as they were very difficult for an invading army to cross. This is not the case for Mesopotamia however, as its landforms were quite vulnerable to invasions, often finding itself at war. According to Pollock (1999, p.8), “Mesopotamia is,
Egypt began around 5000-3000 BC in the valley of the Nile River situated in north eastern Africa. It was divided into two sections known as Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt. These names can be quite deceiving as Upper Egypt is actually situated in the south of Egypt, and Lower Egypt is in the north. This is because the Egyptians based their direction around the Nile, and the Nile flowed from south to north, being one of the only major rivers in the world to do so. To the west of the Nile lay the Western Desert, a huge limestone plateau at a height of 450 metres, taking up two thirds of Egypt. To the east of the Nile is the Eastern Desert, which is stated by Ade`s (2007, p. 8) to be, “…a rugged, mountainous region notched by deep wadis that remain dry for much of the year...” . These deserts along with the Nile acted as a natural barrier to Egypt as they were very difficult for an invading army to cross. This is not the case for Mesopotamia however, as its landforms were quite vulnerable to invasions, often finding itself at war. According to Pollock (1999, p.8), “Mesopotamia is,