How Is Mesopotamia Similar

Egypt and Mesopotamia Comparative Essay Egypt and Mesopotamia were two very complex and unique societies that proved to be both prosperous and successful. Having both been flourishing civilizations, they had many similarities. But each civilization had its own way of rising to success, which resulted in Mesopotamia and Egypt having major differences and similarities in not only culture, but government and economy. All in all, Mesopotamia and Egypt had similar economies because they both relied on agriculture for main income, used the river to transport goods between communities, and used the river for irrigation. Also, their culture was alike in a way that shared related beliefs in religion, built great religious structures and innovative inventions, and both contributed to language and writing forms. Finally, Mesopotamia and Egypt's government was different
because Mesopotamia was divided into city-states while Egypt was a united and confederate state. Likewise, they shared differences because Mesopotamia was self-governed while Egypt was ruled by Pharaohs. Third, the Egyptian rulers had higher power than Mesopotamian rulers. The culture in Mesopotamia and Egypt shared its similarities.
This is evident, because both societies had religions that were polytheistic, which means they worship several gods. There were supreme gods such as the sun god, (Ra), and Osiris, who were Egyptian. Mesopotamian gods included Ishtar. Both civilizations built massive, religious structures such as pyramids, which Mesopotamians called “Ziggurats”. They usually buried powerful rulers or kings in these tombs. Finally, they both made great contributions to writing and language. Mesopotamia and Egypt were one of the first civilizations to make up a writing system. They utilized this writing system to keep track of taxes. Egyptians used forms of hieroglyphics while Mesopotamians used a style of writing called cuneiform. The reason for this similarity is because they needed new ways to record things and communicate with each other. Essentially, these societies are comparable because they both contributed greatly to the world of arts, literature, religion, and architecture and created innovative ideas that allowed others to communicate and share
ideas. The economic similarities between Mesopotamia and Egypt are apparent when we look into how they provide for their community. For instance, both societies were river valley civilizations, which made them rely on the river for not only transportation needs, but also for irrigation needs. They used the river as a gateway to economic surplus by traveling to other nearby communities to trade. Also, they used the river to irrigate the land to fertilize crops. Since the rivers flooded yearly, they rely on the river produce silt for the land so it could become fertile. This determined the economic outcome of their communities. Agriculture was a fundamental key in the production of income, and Mesopotamia and Egypt were reliant on crops to not only feed the community, but to prosper and grow as a civilization. The reason for this similarity is because they are both river valley civilizations, they needed to utilize the river in many ways to ensure and gain benefit as well as a comfortable living. These similarities in economy between Egypt and Mesopotamia show how these two civilizations are linked together and have similar ways in how they produce wealth. Though Mesopotamia and Egypt share many similarities, they also differ immensely, especially in government. This is apparent because although Mesopotamia was divided into regions called city-states, Egypt was one unified area ruled under a single monarch. Because Mesopotamia was divided into different regions, a government official was categorized in every city-state to appoint regulations and carry them out. Egyptian civilization was characterized by the strength of the pharaoh. Since these pharaohs were considered god-like and revered by many, they had control of Egypt as a whole and established rules. Egуptians werе gоvеrned by a bureаuсrасy, where the phаraоh wаs thе ultimate ruler, fоllowеd bу hiѕ aрpоіntеd offiсiаlѕ. City-states were self-reliant and independent to a point where they thrived with independent power. Basically, these small parts added up to a whole when Mesopotamia proved to be a thriving society. Egypt had a centralized government where Mesopotamia was more decentralized. Also, Pharaohs had a higher status than Mesopotamian rulers. In Egypt, their king was thought of as gods walking on Earth. In Mesopotamia, their rulers were only governing a small part of the whole civilization, as where in Egypt, the king rules the whole society. The explanation for this difference is that Mesopotamia had different ideas and beliefs on how a governed society should function, whereas Egyptians believed that a civilization could function more efficiently with a single ruler. In essence, Mesopotamia and Egypt were different because one had a government that relied one individualized power, whereas the other relied on one supreme ruler to have control. These two very unique civilizations have their own way of prospering and growing, and share the congruity that made both societies very revered and prosperous. Both civilizations had similar culture, in a way that enhanced they way they lived and made it easier to communicate. Also, they both shared an economy that was centralized on their most resourceful, geographical blessing: the rivers. These rivers contributed to the way the economic structure stood and endured through so many years. Egypt and Mesopotamia differentiated because their government varied in structure and form. In conclusion, Mesopotamia and Egypt are both substantial civilizations, and though some of their ideas were different from each other, they had one unique goal: to design a prospering civilization that endured human activity, and the growth of mankind.