Compare And Contrast Egypt Vs Roman Empire
Sydney Briggs
Research Paper Rough Draft
12/9/14
Ancient Egypt vs. the Roman Empire This semester I have conducted research on two of history 's most, in my opinion, distinct and strongest societies. The first one is the civilization of Ancient Egypt. It lasted from 3100BC to 1085BC. That 's about 2,015 years. The second society is the Roman Empire. Rome, as an empire, lasted from 31BC to 476AD. That 's only about 507 years, but that doesn 't span all of Rome 's history as a whole; the Roman Empire is only a portion of Rome 's history. While both of these societies are timeless civilizations, Rome was monotheistic, more technologically advanced, and more economically advanced, while Egypt was polytheistic, more academically advanced, and they still relied …show more content…
heavily on farming and trading for income.
Both the Roman Empire and Ancient Egypt made religion a very big part of their daily lives. They did not have the same religion though. Egypt was polytheistic for starters. That means they had many, many gods. Ancient Egyptians believed that all of their gods had something to offer. In fact, the gods were so important to them that they even had little rituals they did for them. For example, they offered up sacrifices, they had temples dedicated to the gods, they had animal cults, they had oracles, and they even believed in magic from the gods. ("Ancient Egyptian Religion") The Egyptians believed that all of those things were pleasing to the gods. Like I said, religion was important to the Roman Empire too, but theirs was completely different from Egypt 's. They weren 't polytheistic anymore, they had a specific name for their religion, and they worshipped God differently. Since the Roman Empire wasn 't polytheistic, what were they? There 's only one answer to that question, and that answer is monotheistic. That means that
they believed in only one God. Before this time, Rome was polytheistic, but under Theodosius the Great, they recognized Christianity as the official religion of the newly founded Roman Empire. ("Rome and the Rise of Christianity" pg. 74) Because they were Christians, they worshipped in a different way than the Egyptians did. Instead of oracles and magic, they opted for prayer and church. Also, instead of worshipping the animals in the animal cults, they simply used their moral compasses. If their wants aligned with what God said, they did it. If it did not align with what God wanted, then they knew they should not do it. It was basically putting God 's word into action for them. Each society believed their religion was true and it would save them from themselves. That 's why it was so important to them. Obviously, the Roman Empire was more technologically advanced because it was farther in the future, but Ancient Egypt has great achievements for its time. For instance, they came up with hieroglyphics, the pyramids, and the process of mummification. Hieroglyphics were their biggest academically technological achievement. They had created a system of writing that allowed them to communicate with each other, and it also allowed the gods to communicate with the humans. Not only that, but it involved both symbols and pictures. They could now use pictures and symbols to convey a specific message to others. ("Western Asia and Egypt" pg. 30) That was far more advanced than any other society of their time. The pyramids were their biggest architecturally technological achievement. They prided themselves in building those immense, spectacular pyramids. It was a slow, grueling process though. They worked by hand, with no special or extravagant tools. ("Ancient Egypt Technology") The fact that they built it all themselves made the end product all the more worth it to them. Their last colossal technological achievement was the process of mummification. Mummification was where they had a dead body and they embalmed it with special oils and such. Then they put the body in the tomb with flowers, food, and other trinkets. The reason they started this process is because they believed that it would give the person who did the mummifying a better standing in this life, and it would also give the mummified a better standing in the afterlife. ("Western Asia and Egypt" pg 28) While Egypt 's main technological achievements were mainly involved in furthering their standings in life or learning, the Roman Empire 's efforts were put towards the field of architecture. They focused heavily on increasing the style of their city. One of the most famous things they built was The Coliseum. It is the largest amphitheater, and it is still standing today. ("Rome and the Rise of Christianity" pg. 71) Another one of their technological advancements was their works with infrastructure. They built many roads and aqueducts. Their roads made people 's commute easier, and their piping made water consumption/use easier. People even said that their architecture was "unequaled anywhere." ("Rome and the Rise of Christianity" pg. 71) Although their works in advancing their empire were great, there were poor living conditions for many of the commoners. They spent so much time and effort on the city 's infrastructure, that they forgot about the many aspects of the overcrowded and poor living style for the regular people. ("Rome and the Rise of Christianity" pg. 71) As I said before, the Roman Empire was more advanced technologically, but they were both very ahead of other societies from their time. The last category that really shows the similarities and differences between these two societies is their economy and the way that they brought in income. They both used trading for a lot of their income, but they had other, different ways to make income too. Egypt, for example, also relied on farming. Some people even say that the Ancient Egyptians relied more on farming than on trading. Regardless of which one they relied on more, it 's safe to say that farming and trading were Egypt 's two largest sources of income. Now, when I say they farmed, it is not like farming in today 's world. They didn 't have the fancy tools or tractors that people have grown so accustomed to having. They farmed by hand, using mainly an old fashioned tool called a sickle. ("Ancient Egypt Technology") Like I said, their other main source of income was trading. The Ancient Egyptians traded for things such as slaves, gold, and seeds. The routes that they imported/exported on were mainly the seaways around them. ("Trade in Ancient Egypt") The Roman Empire traded too, but they traded for different things. While Egypt 's trading spanned a lot of categories, the Roman Empire only traded for one major thing. That thing was grain. Now, when they traded, they were not exclusive to only places in the Roman Empire. They traded to places as far away as India and China. They basically traded on the Silk Road. ("Roman Empire") Unlike the Egyptians, the Roman Empire did not rely on farming as much as their trading of grain let on to. In fact, they even branched out from trading and expanded to manufacturing and mining. They started manufacturing textiles and clothes, and they got slaves to help them with the mining. ("Roman Empire") By taking those steps and expanding their sources of income, they strengthened their economy by a large margin. They, perhaps, had a greater economy than Ancient Egypt because of the changes they implemented. Even though the Roman Empire and Ancient Egypt aren 't technically around anymore, they have influenced our world than you may realize. For example, an excerpt from an article about the ancient Egyptians shows just how much they did affect our world. "Their construction of the pyramids required some form of advanced mathematics..." ("How Ancient Egypt Influenced Our World Today") Also, in regards to the Roman Empire, their buildings influenced many of our buildings. For instance, Thomas Jefferson copied many of the Roman 's ideas when he was coming up with building plans for colonial America. ("Rome and the Rise of Christianity" pg. 72) These two civilizations are quite different in their religious, technological, and economical standing, but they are the same in that they will never truly die. Their legacies will live on forever.
Bibliography
"Ancient Egyptian Religion." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., 27 Oct. 2014. Web. 3 Nov. 2014. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_Egyptian_religion>.
"Ancient Egypt Technology." Epic Eras-Ancient Egypt. Epiceras-ancientegypt.com., 1 Jan. 2008. Web. 3 Nov. 2014. <http://www.epiceras- ancientegypt.com/ancient_egypt_technology.html>.
"How Ancient Egypt Influenced Our World Today." Prezi. Prit Prat, 20 Nov. 2012. Web. 15 Nov. 2014. <https://prezi.com/oye46yyki4hi/how-ancient-egypt-influenced-our-world- today/>.
"Rome and the Rise of Christianity." Glencoe World History: Modern Times. McGraw and Hill. Web. 7 Oct 2014. <https://www.connexus.com/extra/ThirdPartyProviders/McGraw_Hill/World_History_M odern_ Times/Chapter_2.pdf>.
"Roman Empire." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., 19 Nov. 2014. Web. 19 Nov. 2014. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_Empire>.
"Trade in Ancient Egypt." The Guide to the World of the Ancient Egyptians. Web. 3 Nov. 2014. <http://egyptiandiamond.com/ancient-egyptian-trade.php>.
"Western Asia and Egypt." Glencoe World History: Modern Times. McGraw and Hill. Web. 7 Oct 2014. <https://www.connexus.com/extra/ThirdPartyProviders/McGraw_Hill/World_History_M odern_ Times/Chapter_1.pdf>.
Research Paper Rough Draft
12/9/14
Ancient Egypt vs. the Roman Empire This semester I have conducted research on two of history 's most, in my opinion, distinct and strongest societies. The first one is the civilization of Ancient Egypt. It lasted from 3100BC to 1085BC. That 's about 2,015 years. The second society is the Roman Empire. Rome, as an empire, lasted from 31BC to 476AD. That 's only about 507 years, but that doesn 't span all of Rome 's history as a whole; the Roman Empire is only a portion of Rome 's history. While both of these societies are timeless civilizations, Rome was monotheistic, more technologically advanced, and more economically advanced, while Egypt was polytheistic, more academically advanced, and they still relied …show more content…
heavily on farming and trading for income.
Both the Roman Empire and Ancient Egypt made religion a very big part of their daily lives. They did not have the same religion though. Egypt was polytheistic for starters. That means they had many, many gods. Ancient Egyptians believed that all of their gods had something to offer. In fact, the gods were so important to them that they even had little rituals they did for them. For example, they offered up sacrifices, they had temples dedicated to the gods, they had animal cults, they had oracles, and they even believed in magic from the gods. ("Ancient Egyptian Religion") The Egyptians believed that all of those things were pleasing to the gods. Like I said, religion was important to the Roman Empire too, but theirs was completely different from Egypt 's. They weren 't polytheistic anymore, they had a specific name for their religion, and they worshipped God differently. Since the Roman Empire wasn 't polytheistic, what were they? There 's only one answer to that question, and that answer is monotheistic. That means that
they believed in only one God. Before this time, Rome was polytheistic, but under Theodosius the Great, they recognized Christianity as the official religion of the newly founded Roman Empire. ("Rome and the Rise of Christianity" pg. 74) Because they were Christians, they worshipped in a different way than the Egyptians did. Instead of oracles and magic, they opted for prayer and church. Also, instead of worshipping the animals in the animal cults, they simply used their moral compasses. If their wants aligned with what God said, they did it. If it did not align with what God wanted, then they knew they should not do it. It was basically putting God 's word into action for them. Each society believed their religion was true and it would save them from themselves. That 's why it was so important to them. Obviously, the Roman Empire was more technologically advanced because it was farther in the future, but Ancient Egypt has great achievements for its time. For instance, they came up with hieroglyphics, the pyramids, and the process of mummification. Hieroglyphics were their biggest academically technological achievement. They had created a system of writing that allowed them to communicate with each other, and it also allowed the gods to communicate with the humans. Not only that, but it involved both symbols and pictures. They could now use pictures and symbols to convey a specific message to others. ("Western Asia and Egypt" pg. 30) That was far more advanced than any other society of their time. The pyramids were their biggest architecturally technological achievement. They prided themselves in building those immense, spectacular pyramids. It was a slow, grueling process though. They worked by hand, with no special or extravagant tools. ("Ancient Egypt Technology") The fact that they built it all themselves made the end product all the more worth it to them. Their last colossal technological achievement was the process of mummification. Mummification was where they had a dead body and they embalmed it with special oils and such. Then they put the body in the tomb with flowers, food, and other trinkets. The reason they started this process is because they believed that it would give the person who did the mummifying a better standing in this life, and it would also give the mummified a better standing in the afterlife. ("Western Asia and Egypt" pg 28) While Egypt 's main technological achievements were mainly involved in furthering their standings in life or learning, the Roman Empire 's efforts were put towards the field of architecture. They focused heavily on increasing the style of their city. One of the most famous things they built was The Coliseum. It is the largest amphitheater, and it is still standing today. ("Rome and the Rise of Christianity" pg. 71) Another one of their technological advancements was their works with infrastructure. They built many roads and aqueducts. Their roads made people 's commute easier, and their piping made water consumption/use easier. People even said that their architecture was "unequaled anywhere." ("Rome and the Rise of Christianity" pg. 71) Although their works in advancing their empire were great, there were poor living conditions for many of the commoners. They spent so much time and effort on the city 's infrastructure, that they forgot about the many aspects of the overcrowded and poor living style for the regular people. ("Rome and the Rise of Christianity" pg. 71) As I said before, the Roman Empire was more advanced technologically, but they were both very ahead of other societies from their time. The last category that really shows the similarities and differences between these two societies is their economy and the way that they brought in income. They both used trading for a lot of their income, but they had other, different ways to make income too. Egypt, for example, also relied on farming. Some people even say that the Ancient Egyptians relied more on farming than on trading. Regardless of which one they relied on more, it 's safe to say that farming and trading were Egypt 's two largest sources of income. Now, when I say they farmed, it is not like farming in today 's world. They didn 't have the fancy tools or tractors that people have grown so accustomed to having. They farmed by hand, using mainly an old fashioned tool called a sickle. ("Ancient Egypt Technology") Like I said, their other main source of income was trading. The Ancient Egyptians traded for things such as slaves, gold, and seeds. The routes that they imported/exported on were mainly the seaways around them. ("Trade in Ancient Egypt") The Roman Empire traded too, but they traded for different things. While Egypt 's trading spanned a lot of categories, the Roman Empire only traded for one major thing. That thing was grain. Now, when they traded, they were not exclusive to only places in the Roman Empire. They traded to places as far away as India and China. They basically traded on the Silk Road. ("Roman Empire") Unlike the Egyptians, the Roman Empire did not rely on farming as much as their trading of grain let on to. In fact, they even branched out from trading and expanded to manufacturing and mining. They started manufacturing textiles and clothes, and they got slaves to help them with the mining. ("Roman Empire") By taking those steps and expanding their sources of income, they strengthened their economy by a large margin. They, perhaps, had a greater economy than Ancient Egypt because of the changes they implemented. Even though the Roman Empire and Ancient Egypt aren 't technically around anymore, they have influenced our world than you may realize. For example, an excerpt from an article about the ancient Egyptians shows just how much they did affect our world. "Their construction of the pyramids required some form of advanced mathematics..." ("How Ancient Egypt Influenced Our World Today") Also, in regards to the Roman Empire, their buildings influenced many of our buildings. For instance, Thomas Jefferson copied many of the Roman 's ideas when he was coming up with building plans for colonial America. ("Rome and the Rise of Christianity" pg. 72) These two civilizations are quite different in their religious, technological, and economical standing, but they are the same in that they will never truly die. Their legacies will live on forever.
Bibliography
"Ancient Egyptian Religion." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., 27 Oct. 2014. Web. 3 Nov. 2014. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_Egyptian_religion>.
"Ancient Egypt Technology." Epic Eras-Ancient Egypt. Epiceras-ancientegypt.com., 1 Jan. 2008. Web. 3 Nov. 2014. <http://www.epiceras- ancientegypt.com/ancient_egypt_technology.html>.
"How Ancient Egypt Influenced Our World Today." Prezi. Prit Prat, 20 Nov. 2012. Web. 15 Nov. 2014. <https://prezi.com/oye46yyki4hi/how-ancient-egypt-influenced-our-world- today/>.
"Rome and the Rise of Christianity." Glencoe World History: Modern Times. McGraw and Hill. Web. 7 Oct 2014. <https://www.connexus.com/extra/ThirdPartyProviders/McGraw_Hill/World_History_M odern_ Times/Chapter_2.pdf>.
"Roman Empire." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., 19 Nov. 2014. Web. 19 Nov. 2014. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_Empire>.
"Trade in Ancient Egypt." The Guide to the World of the Ancient Egyptians. Web. 3 Nov. 2014. <http://egyptiandiamond.com/ancient-egyptian-trade.php>.
"Western Asia and Egypt." Glencoe World History: Modern Times. McGraw and Hill. Web. 7 Oct 2014. <https://www.connexus.com/extra/ThirdPartyProviders/McGraw_Hill/World_History_M odern_ Times/Chapter_1.pdf>.