Essay On Mesopotamia

Mesopotamia
The Jewish people, with a history thousands of years old with rites and traditions, beliefs, and
ceremonies. Their culture was influenced by Mesopotamian dance, music, literature, and poetry, as
well as the invention of the written Hebrew language (Steinberg 3). Mesopotamia also influenced
Judaism with their literature, language, and art.
Mesopotamia is the region between the two rivers, Tigris and Euphrates, now making up modern
Iraq. It is considered to be the first civilization, often referred to as the "Cradle of Life."
Mesopotamia is credited for developing the first written language, religion, agriculture, and investing
the wheel (Cole, Sims, Coffin, and Stacey pg8). Many cultures adopted these developments that are
still in use today....show more content...
Judaism was quick to include these influences into their rites and ceremonies. One example would
be "The Horah" a traditional wedding dance where the bride and the groom dances around the
floor on a chair with those at the reception to a traditional wedding song, Hava Nagila. "Guests
form a huge circle around the couple and dance a clockwise and in the end of it the bride and
groom throw handkerchief in the air" They perform various foot movements like kicks and other
grapevine– like steps. Ceremonial touch the atmosphere and makes the wedding and reception
ceremony enjoyable and a memorable one ( Jirage pg. 1). The art of Mesopotamia has survived in
the archaeological record from early hunter–gatherer societies (10th millennium BC) on to the
Bronze Age cultures of the Sumerian, Akkadian, Babylonian and Assyrian empires. These empires
were later replaced in the Iron Age by the Neo–Assyrian and Neo–Babylonian empires (Cole, Symes,
Coffin, and Stacey pg. 7). According to Anna Schon, life as Jewish girl is never stagnant, and
because of Judaism, dance is a wonderful challenge. Dance is like life, it is ephemeral but it is also
prayer and a spirit that lives forever.
There are so many different ways that Mesopotamia influenced Judaism and other civilizations
throughout history. Between the language, literature, and the arts, as well as dance, music, and
Get more content on HelpWriting.net

Egypt And Mesopotamia Comparison Essay
Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia were two of the greatest civilizations in human history. Both had
enormous cultural and scientific advances that will always have an impact on our way of life.
Although different in many ways, ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia kept many key similarities.
Understand the comparison between these two civilizations highlights the origins of the origins of
our most basic social, political and cultural systems. Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia developed
around the same time, between 5000 and 6000 BC. It was an especially important period for
humanity. At this point, most humans were nomadic pastoralists, moving from one place to another
using the benefits of pets, but not agriculture. Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia shared a similar key
in its geography, access to a major source of fresh water. Egypt was the Nile and Mesopotamia, was
the Tigris and Euphrates, an area commonly referred to as the...show more content...
Often the difference between gods and rules was very thin. The sacrifices were made frequently,
especially in light of natural disasters. Although their gods were different, most beliefs were similar,
including vision of life after death. Mesopotamia and Egypt developed advanced systems of writing,
starting with simple pictographs and move to advanced letters. Mesopotamian writing began as a
wedge–shaped characters, a system that is called cuneiform. Egypt originally used hieroglyphics.
Although Mesopotamia began as a combination of city–states, both civilizations had a kind of
monarchy. Egypt had a Pharaoh, a position that was inherited from father to son, establishing
long–lasting dynasties. Mesopotamia had a king, but instead of working with the family legacy, the
king was overthrown by regularly invading forces due to poor defensive position in the area. Both
systems led to the creation of strict social classes commonly included a class of priests, businessmen,
farmers and

Ancient Mesopotamia Essay
It is undeniable that the natural environment of ancient Mesopotamia had a profound effect on the
earliest civilizations known to the world. Humankind's ability to control irrigation waters directly
correlates with the rise of mass agriculture. With this mastery of their river environment, early
farmers were capable of supporting large urban populations. However, in Mesopotamia the Tigris
and Euphrates rivers were both a source of life as well as destruction for early societies. In many
ways, the geography of ancient Mesopotamia fostered a sense of catastrophic determinism within the
Sumerians, Akkadians, and Babylonians. The scarcity of resources as well as the untamable nature
of their deluge environment led these early people to...show more content...
The impermanence of these structures furthered their deterministic world view by instilling with
this ancient society a strong sense of fatalism. Everything they built was bound to be destroyed by
their geographic environment. All of their hard work could be taken away in the instance of a flash
flood or doomed by harsh desert corrosion. Only a hero king who is "two–thirds god" could bring
precious wood into the river valley. 2 In this light, Gilgamesh's quest for wood offers a small
window into the effects of geographic constraints within Mesopotamian society. Similar to the
Epic of Gilgamesh, the Law Codes of Hammurabi unveil a society in which a harsh environment
led to a set world view. In an age where it was commonly believed Mesopotamian gods had
already preordained the future, Hammurabi's code came to be viewed as the embodiment of these
gods' will. The prologue of Hammurabi's Code proclaims that Enil (the storm god) is the
"determiner of destinies of the land" and "functions over all mankind."3 This opening verse of
Hammurabi's Code demonstrates the people of Babylon firmly believed their fate was set in stone
by the gods. However, later and more pragmatic sections of the Law Code offer firm evidence that
diluvian geography, not divine intervention, was the underlying reason for Mesopotamian
determinism. In other words, it was the environment which led

The History of Mesopotamia and Ancient Egypt Mesopotamia and Ancient Egypt are both cradles of
civilization. Both contributed greatly to human development through their achievements, failures,
peoples, scientific accomplishments, philosophies, religions, and contributions. Mesopotamia is a
rich flat plain created by deposits from the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. At the southern end of this
plain developed the first recognizable civilization, in the area known as Sumer. In 3000 B.C. Sumer
contained a dozen or more city–states, each ruled by its own king and worshiped its own patron
deity. The citizens of these city–states were classified into three classes: nobles and priests,
commoners, and slaves. In the center of a...show more content...
The ruler of this dynasty was Ur–Nammu. He was the first ruler to establish law codes and spell out
regulations and penalties. Another great ruler was King Hammurabi of Babylon. He set up the
Code of Hammurabi, which includes 300 sections of carefully organized codes that ruled the
Babylonians. Hammurabi was the first example of a lawgiver. He provided one of the greatest
written documents of his time: a stone column with a long series of legal judgments published
with his name. Hammurabi even designed codes for the family life. He took care of the women
and children in his society. He regulated marriage with care to secure a stable life for future
generations. He combined both law and religious belief to create an ordered society. The
Mesopotamians built on foundations laid by the Sumerians using their sexagesimal system. They
had multiplication tables, exponents, tables for computing interest, and textbooks with problems
for solution. They also developed systems of astrology and astronomy, and even created a lunar
calendar. The early cities of Mesopotamia fell from one warlord to another, and were constantly
changing, unlike the kingdoms of Ancient Egypt that kept its stability. The Egyptians lived along
the Nile River, which probably made it easier to govern the people. The King was the owner and
ruler of all Egypt and was considered a god by the people. The economy was a royal monopoly, the
peoples duties was to serve the King. In the old Kingdom

Mesopotamia Dbq Essay
Mesopotamia and Egypt
I think that without the past there is no future. The future is very important and in this essay I will
explain the Egyptian civilization in mesopotamia and information about their beliefs, way of life
and leadership. I will also include the role of pharaoh and priests of Mesopotamia.
The ancient cultures of Mesopotamia and Egypt develop into successful civilizations by having
floods from the nile river that provided water, food and fertile area in the middle of the desert as
document 1 states. In document 2 it says that they also had rivers that provided many resources such
as transportation, trade as well as plants, the rivers were surrounded by deserts.
Ancient Egyptians referred to their king as pharaoh. Document 3 explains that they believed that
pharaoh is a god that controls everything and has an absolute power that nobody can came close to.
According to document 6 the Sumerians and Akkadians practice polytheism, the worship of many
gods. They believed that keeping the gods happy will be the key of their own happiness and
prosperity but, if the gods were angry, they might bring suffering and disaster.the sumerians built
temples that called ziggurats, they believed that the temples linked earth with the heavens and linked
people with gods.
According to document 4 "In the code of Hammurabi,...show more content...
In conclusion there is many reasons why Mesopotamia and Egypt develop into a successful
civilization some of them are the nile river floods that people depended on for food and water and
the rivers that provided resources such as transportation, trade and plants or pharaoh that the
Egyptians believed in and thought he had absolute power or the sumerians and akkadians that
were polytheistic and believed in many gods and keeping the gods happy for their own happiness,
also Hammurabi code that concerned to a daily life laws like making justice or destroying evil and
wicked all of these reasons made Mesopotamia and egypt successful

Mesopotamia And Its Impact On Mesopotamia Essay
Mesopotamia was the highlight of all regions. The location falls right in between the Tigris and
Euphrates Rivers, where modern day Iraq is today. It was located right along "the fertile crescent".
Because of this the soil was very rich which caused great agriculture. It was one of the first
civilizations to roam the earth. During 4300 BCE, the late Ubaid period in Mesopotamia began.
Many events and actions took place during this time. Mesopotamia was an outstanding region and
contained many treasures including pottery, inventions, architecture, and Ziggurats.
Pottery had a major impact on Mesopotamia. During the Ubaid period, objects were created and
made of dark clay. Because of this, they often have a brown or green tint. These objects consisted
of drinking cups, storage jars, bowls, and plates. The normal households pots were not as
extravagant. They were roughly shaped and plain. Some jars had knobs on the side so they can be
easily carried, but others had a rim that lengthened all the way around. This was the most common
feature of higher quality pieces. Some of these projects were the first to be created on potter's
wheels. The potter's wheel gave the advantage of making larger and more symmetrical forms at a
much faster pace. "Ubaid–culture potters were the first to turn out their products en masse. The
technical perfection of Ubaid culture potters enabled them to supply some clay products, which
could replace those parts of the contemporary tool kit. Not only does

Essay Comparing The Pharaohs Of Mesopotamia
The pharaohs in Egypt were similar to that of the Mesopotamia's king in that they were governed by
theocracies, where kings were believed to rule by divine right. However their geography changes
their respective attitudes in many ways when comparing the pharaohs of Egypt and the kings of
Mesopotamia. Mesopotamia consisted of the region known as Sumer, in southern Iraq between two
rivers Tigris and Euphrates which flowed vastly and irregularly at different times throughout the
year. Much of the areas in Mesopotamia were soggy and subjected to unpredictable floods, droughts
and storm damage which was capable of ruining harvests and livelihoods. Consequently, the
dominant religious concern in the earliest times was the power of nature and the need to appease the
gods who controlled it. Mesopotamia's city–states had gods or goddess that were seen as the
controllers of law, weather...show more content...
In Egypt the Nile River was notably different in comparison to the two rivers Mesopotamia was
between, the Tigris River and Euphrates River. The Nile River flowed slowly and on a more
predictable basis. Rock walls and barrens closed off Egypt from the rest of the continent protecting
Egypt and giving the Egyptians a peace of mind. Egyptian art was not meant for protection, their
art was mostly made for representing empowerment and control. This can be seen in their
architectural work of places, shrines and temples. Egyptians were able to recruit laborers to build
their great temples but this was difficult for Mesopotamia whose grounds were constantly under
attack. Egypt used their architecture and art to mostly prepare for the afterlife or to please those of
the dead but also representing their power and control to any

Why Was Mesopotamia Important
Ancient Mesopotamia was an old, primitive place that invented many useful things that we use
today in the U.S. Many of these inventions started out on accident or used for something little but
then they led to be some of the most useful items for us and our family. Mesopotamia first was
struggling with food and only ate what they could find. In that time, nobody could be a fussy eater,
there just was not enough food for that. Mesopotamia was a fertile place, and lived between two
rivers, the Euphrates and the Tigris making it absolutely marshy. This would end up leading to the
invention of farming.
The Ancient Mesopotamians ate all the seeds that they found that could be used for farming. But
once they figured out how to farm, they would plant seeds instead of eating them. Farming, or
agriculture, made an enormous impact on how they lived. Farming also led to almost everything
else that they invented. Because of the fertile soil, farming went really well for them. But will all
the farming that began, they needed water to be delivered to their fields for their plants. According
to the article, this led to irrigation. Now that water got provided, crops grew amazingly. After their
farming was going really well, they had more food than needed. Ancient Mesopotamia traded the
surplus food to other countries for money. But they need a way to...show more content...
It all started out as seeds maybe dropping out of Ancient Mesopotamians hands that caused farming
to be developed. Farming led to a lot of their other inventions. Their need for water led to irrigation.
After they started farming, they traded the excess food which eventually led to the first form of
writing to keep track. After that, their need to transport crops gave them the idea to invent the wheel.
To keep track of their debts, they invented banking which helps us today. After inventing farming, all
these inventions just started leading to one

Essay On Ancient Egypt And Mesopotamia
Though most ancient civilizations settled on rivers, each one tended to be different due to the
characteristics of their nearby rivers. Two civilizations that differed significantly from one another
were the civilizations of Mesopotamia and ancient Egypt. Not only are the rivers of Mesopotamia
and ancient Egypt seemingly perfect to compare, but the two civilizations also existed around the
same time as one another; meaning that the overall impact of their respective rivers on their
societies can truly be observed. Although both Mesopotamia and ancient Egypt equally relied on
their rivers to survive and prosper, there are many differences in how the two civilizations developed
due to the differences in the way that their rivers behaved....show more content...
Due to the significant differences between the behaviors of the Nile and Tigris/Euphrates rivers,
there were multiple differences between the way that both civilizations created their cities. As
previously stated, Mesopotamia was regularly threatened by the flooding of the Tigris and
Euphrates rivers; causing the civilization to construct multiple independent cities with protective
walls at their borders. Since the size of each Mesopotamian city was restricted by its protective
borders, each city was compact with congested alleyways and streets; each housing crowded single
or multileveled living quarters and shops that circled a large ziggurat. The way in which
Mesopotamian cities were constructed was significantly different than that of ancient Egypt, for the
Egyptian civilization was less urbanized and composed of loose, peasant–centric cities. This lack of
discipline found in the formation of ancient Egyptian cities was mainly due to the Nile river's calm
behavior; meaning that the Egyptians did not require walls or extensive canals to protect their cities
and facilitate farming. Without the need for restrictive walls, the Egyptians were enabled to farm
freely on the banks of the Nile river. This difference in the formation of cities found in Mesopotamia
and ancient Egypt also brought about differences in the way that their

Ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, And Mesopotamia
In ancient Egypt, Rome and Mesopotamia the connections that the people had with their rulers
stemmed from their belief that their ruler had a close connection with their God's. Because of the
vast role that religion played in their lives it was important to show their admiration and appreciation
for these royal beings. From a psychological standpoint, through their style, significance, and
idealization, Mesopotamia, Egypt and Rome's depictions of royalty within their artworks functioned
as the best way to encompass the impression, and supremacy that a ruler held over their people.
For many of the people of Mesopotamia the most important part of their society was their religion
and their royalty. They believed that they held close relationships with their Gods and they
believed that their rulers were the closest possible connection that they had to their Gods. An
ancient Sumerian proverb states "Man is the shadow of God, but the king is God's reflection"
(Alexander). The king was believed to be personally chosen by the gods and acting in their will
however they were not considered to be god like.
The king's responsibilities included participating in religious rituals, managing the state during peace
and war–time, and creating laws. The Mesopotamians believed that in order to protect themselves
they needed to gain more resources and people and this was done by expanding and conquering
surrounding areas. Another role of the king was to issue codes of law with the ideal that he

Serra Bauman Course C375 Task1 The differences, and even more so, the similarities between the
geography in Mesopotamia, and Ancient Egypt can be found to be very intriguing. Both were
near rivers and experienced floods. Both civilizations took advantage of the floods. Both made
advances in agriculture due to the rich silt left from the floods. Mesopotamia in Greek means
"middle river" or "land between two rivers" (Acrobatiq, 2014). Mesopotamia is found between the
Tigris, and the Euphrates Rivers. This was located in what we now know as Iraq. Mesopotamia is
often called the "cradle of civilization" This is because the Sumerians, the first society in the world,
lived. The beginning of a civilization was due to the rich silt left from...show more content...
This time, it was the Nile River. People had migrated to the Nile River as natural bodies of water
in northern Africa began to dry out. This caused many animals to die off, leading hunters to the
Nile where some animals remained. Around 7500 BCE they began sewing grains (Acrobatiq,
2014) . Like Mesopotamia, the abundance of food grown brought more people. More people
brought more government and politics. The flooding in the two regions was different. In
Mesopotamia, the floods were unpredictable, but left much needed silt. In Ancient Egypt, the
floods were predictable happening with tropical rains in the spring and summer. This caused the
Nile River to rise. The people of Ancient Egypt built ditches to irrigate the farmlands. In
Mesopotamia, there was a lot of fighting and wars. The people were always trying to take on a new
city or new city–state to increase their wealth. Things were not the same in Ancient Egypt. In
Ancient Egypt, the Nile valley and the distance from potential invaders, kept things calm. This lead
naturally to the development of two main kingdoms Egypt and Nubia. Egypt in the north was
known as Lower Egypt, and Nubia in the south was known as Upper

Egypt developed around the Nile River, while Mesopotamia developed between the Tigris and
Euphrates rivers. Egypt and Mesopotamia grew into complex civilizations. Politically, both Egypt
and Mesopotamia had a government with one main ruler, but Egypt had a centralized government
with a pharaoh, while Mesopotamia had a decentralized government with a king. Socially, both
civilizations were patriarchal, but Egypt was more lenient towards women while Mesopotamia was
stricter. The political and social structures of Egypt and Mesopotamia both similarities and
differences. Politically, although both Egypt and Mesopotamia had one main ruler, Egypt was
centralized and whereas Mesopotamia was decentralized. Egypt centralized government led...show
more content...
However, in Mesopotamia, the males subjugated the women. To stop married women from
tempting other men, they were forced to cover their bodies, except for their faces, with veils.
Women in Mesopotamia were often arranged into marriages, without a say on the subject. The
Mesopotamian women had little impact on their society, while certain Egyptian women were able
to gain highly influential positions in their society. One Egyptian woman even became the Queen
of Egypt, alongside her son. Due to Egypt being less strict towards the women, Egyptian women
were able to have a greater influence on their society. Although both civilizations were patriarchal,
they varied on how strict they were towards women. Ancient civilizations surrounding Egypt and
Mesopotamia during this time period had similar political and social structures to either of the
civilizations. Most societies with a centralized government did not see their rulers as divine as
pharaohs. Some civilizations, like the Chinese rulers and their Mandate of Heaven, ruled with a
power similar to the Egyptian pharaohs. However, the Chinese empire could also be overthrown if
they were a bad ruler. The Greek city–states also constantly fought each to gain power over all of
Greece. Socially, ancient civilizations were not as lenient towards their women. Since social
inequalities developed starting around the development of agriculture, women of ancient times were

The ancient civilizations of the Ancient Egypt, as well as the great Mesopotamia, are the world's
greatest civilization as recorded by history. The civilization was highly facilitated by rivers which
cut across their land. The Euphrates, Nile, as well as Tigris, constantly moving along the river
banks which in turn resulted in the adjoining land is extremely fertile (Backman). This led to
flourishment and development of Ur and Eriku cities in Mesopotamia as well as the city of Thebes
in Egypt (Backman). The Nile was very significant in Ancient Egypt as it made invasion by enemies
impossible due to its marshy deltas (Backman). On the other hand, Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia
differed fundamentally in many aspects more specifically in how their societies were structured,
cultural orientation, religion, technological experiences, literature, and art among other things
(Backman). This paper will center on examining these differences as well as similarities between
these two regions as well as what they communicate concerning the circumstances that people from
these two regions faced. The political structure of Ancient Egypt was made of a government
structure that was more enforced whereas the pharaoh was the Devine ruler, who the people
perceived as a god and could not address while directly looking at him in the face (Backman).
Noblemen appointed into the political structure were relatives of the pharaoh and upon his death, his
son was to succeed him (Connan, 33–50). It was believed that Pharaoh descended from the gods and
had the ability to ensure prosperity and controlled rituals which granted continued flow of river Nile
that enhanced irrigation (Connan, 33–50). There was a high rate of bureaucracy in Ancient system
influenced by this political structure and most people were illiterate peasants, they were highly
regulated (Backman). On the contrary, Mesopotamia consisted of states that governed themselves
before the proclamation of Sargon the great as the king in 2370BCE (Backman). The king here was
not considered as divine and the majority of those who served in the political structure were just
noble men from noble families with no blood relations with the ruling class (Connan, 33–50).
Mesopotamia is where

Mesopotamia Essay
Looking at what the Mesopotamians left behind, we see that their lives were filled with vast
economic, social and political changes. The sources of amalgamation and centralization in
Mesopotamia were primarily found in the temple and state sectors. The roles that these centralized
institutions played mainly centered around the economy, politics and administration over villages in
the surrounding city–states. The power that these institutions exercised was advantageous because it
gave them access and control over the surplus labor, agricultural produce, and pastoral products.
This access was crucial because it was the basis for the survival and social reproduction of
Mesopotamian elites.
These Southern Mesopotamian strategies of centralization...show more content...
Evidence suggests that Mesopotamian elites and centralized institutions went to great lengths to
manage those who were specialized in the production of high statues or high value commodities such
as textiles, semi–precious stones and metals. During the later part of the Early Dynastic period, the
inhabitants of Ur devoted much effort in constructing tombs for their deceased elites. Excavated in
the Royal Cemetery at Ur were vessels, seals and jewels of gold, carnelian, copper, and lapis lazuli.
One artifact excavated at the Royal Cemetery at Ur was a headdress with leaf–shaped ornaments.
This intricate headdress was made of gold leaves, lapis lazuli and carnelian beads and would have
been worn by a female attendant in the King's grave. Because gold, silver, lapis lazuli, and carnelian
were not found in Mesopotamia, the existence of these rich luxuries in the royal tomb can speak
for the wealth of the Early Dynastic kings as well as to the thriving, complex system of trade that
reached far past the Mesopotamian plain. The wealth in the tombs also spoke for the power and
ability of the

Mesopotamia In Ancient Egypt
Mesopotamia was a great place for a civilization because it was parked between two rivers which
is also what Mesopotamia means. Because it was near not one but two rivers, Mesopotamia was
able to be home to, and sustain a much larger number of people people than if it was only near
one river. This is because there was significantly more water with which to irrigate farms, and as a
result, a much larger amount of food could be produced therefore allowing civilizations within
Mesopotamia to sustain even more citizens. Egypt developed along the Nile River because there
was chronologically based flooding that would normally be devastating for a civilization. However
the Egyptians learned to anticipate the flooding as it happened at the same time

Essay On Ancient Mesopotamian Religion
What similarities can you find between the religions of Ancient Mesopotamian today?
Much like tens of thousands of years ago, religion is still a central component of our lives today.
Some of the most popular religions today are Christianity and Judaism, both based on the Old
Testament/Hebrew Bible and both based in the Near East. Because of cultural assimilation within the
region, it would only be logical for the religions of today to share some similarities of those
established in Ancient Mesopotamia.
One of the most famous lines of the Bible takes place in Genesis 1:1, which states "In the beginning
God created the heavens and earth." This line is much like a similar creation myth from the
Sumerians where Marduk creates the heavens and earth by using the body of the slain goddess
Tiamut who personified watery chaos, "proceeded to create the universe by dividing Tiamat in two,
one part becoming the heavens and the other the earth with her breasts as mountains. From her eyes
came the Tigris and...show more content...
"In those days the world teemed, the people multiplied, the world bellowed like a wild bull...." In
the Old Testament, humanity has also grown, thus the beginning of the flood myth. Similarly, in
both myths a wise man is told of a catastrophic flood that is to take place by the hand of the gods
(or God) and he must quickly prepare. "[B]ecause of his oath warned me in a dream ... 'tear down
your house and build a boat, abandon possessions [sic] and look for life, despise worldly goods
and save your soul alive. Tear down your house, I say, and build a boat.... Then take up into the
boat the seed of all living creatures....'" The purpose of the floods is to destroy humanity. In the
case of the Epic of Gilgamesh, it is to deal with rowdy humans. In the case of the Old Testament, it
is to destroy the humans who have grown wicked and turned their backs to God and return the earth
to its beginning as a watery

Mesopotamia and Egypt Comparison Essay
Known as one of the earliest civilizations, Mesopotamia and Egypt both share set amounts of
similarities along with a share of striking distinctions. Environmentally, these two civilizations were
formed in similar surroundings, yet their weather patterns show distinctions. Politically, both
governments derived from a monarch, yet their laws and punishments distinguished the two's court
systems. Economically, they both shared prosperous success in similar manners. Socially, although
the two lands followed a hierarchy, the value of women contrasted. Culturally, they both believed in
a higher order of creation; however, their views of them were polar opposites. Intellectually, these
two societies developed skilled abilities and creations that...show more content...
The Mesopotamian laws, in contrast, were hard and unfortunate, which were set by King
Hammurabi himself during his long reign of Babylon. In Hammurabi's court, it did not matter if
you were rich or poor, if you broke the law, and were found guilty, you would be punished and
required to follow the laws and punishments that were clearly written in stone (the code of
Hammurabi). Economically, these two civilizations both shared prosperous success in similar
manners. One connection between Mesopotamia and Egypt is that they both manipulated their
designated rivers to perform critical trade operations by using them as routes. They were able to
communicated and send goods with other civilizations in a farther location via the river system.
Also, these two civilizations were very productive in the agricultural field due to the strategically
created irrigation systems that provided water to their fertile soils to provide lush vegetations in
Nile and Sumer. The one difference between Mesopotamia and Egypt in terms of economy is that
the Nile government controlled most if not all of the trading monopoly, and they had their citizens
pay substantial taxes. In social terms, Egypt and Mesopotamia followed a hierarchy. A body of
people with authority, categorized according to

Mesopotamia was the world's first civilization––the first time people settled down to live together in
one place. They didn't have to rely only on hunting and gathering to get food because they knew
how to farm and could save up food for the winter. Since they had so much extra time now (the time
they used to spend hunting animals and gathering plants), this allowed them to begin creating
objects and ideas to help them live a little easier.
This slideshow will demonstrate some of Mesopotamia's most important inventions and
achievements. Some of them may surprise you! You've used at least one of them already today. You
can click the play button to watch the slideshow, or you can use the thumbnails at the bottom to
change the picture...show more content...
Interesting Facts about Mesopotamian Technology
The Walls of Babylon were once considered one of the Seven Ancient Wonders of the World.
There were actually two massive walls that surrounded the entire city. Archeologists estimate that
the walls were over 50 miles long with each wall being around 23 feet wide and 35 feet tall. There
were also massive towers at intervals along the wall that may have been hundreds of feet tall.
The Mesopotamians may have invented the simple machine called the Archimedes Screw. This
would have helped to raise water to the heights needed for the plants in the famous Hanging Gardens
of Babylon.
The Assyrians developed glasswork as well as glazes for pottery and art to help it last longer.
Eighteen different canals have been found that brought water to the Assyrian Empire capital of
Nineveh.
Through the development of writing, mathematics, metalworking, detailed law codes, and the wheel,
Mesopotamians have shown their ingenuity with many different achievements. The world as we
know it could not survive without writing. I am writing right now in order to do this paper, and the
economy and so much of our lives is dependent on writing. Although it goes hand–in–hand with
writing, mathematics is also a very important achievement of the Mesopotamians. Mesopotamians
based their math system on sixty, but it is just as important and influential regardless. Metal work is
another great achievement

Mesopotamia
Early civilizations from Mesopotamia to Egypt were established primarily because of the shift from
hunting and gathering to agricultural means of acquiring food. This change meant that not everyone
in a population was necessary for the group's survival and therefore, some members had "free time".
This extra time allowed for advances in religion, writing, and politics, three key features of
civilization. By studying these advances, we can better learn how civilization originally looked and
we can examine the effects of their advances in today's society. With this new spare time usually
allocated for hunting and gathering, early people logically looked for reasons to explain the nature
of things. These explanations initiated the earliest forms of religion–a prominent feature in the basis
of both Mesopotamian and Egyptian life.1 Mesopotamians created and actively worshiped hundreds
of gods, many of which explained different phenomena and could control how the forces of nature
affected people. The Mesopotamians, therefore, found their purpose in serving the will of the gods.2
Egyptians believed their gods to...show more content...
The answer–through the invention of writing. Sumerians created cuneiform writing while Egyptians
wrote hieroglyphics on the inside of pyramid walls.4 These two writing styles both proved very
important to early human civilization, if not for their own reasons. Mesopotamians used their
writing knowledge "as archivists, secretaries, or accountants."5 The hieroglyphics of the Egyptians
"contained fragments from myths, historical annals, and magical lore and provided spells to assist
the king in ascending to heaven."6 Even with the differing uses, the practical applications of the
Mesopotamians compared to the more spiritual applications of the Egyptians, writing still is a
common

Mesopotamia Research Paper
Mesopotamia was a civilization that started approximately 3200 b.c. and ended around 539 b.c. The
reason why they called the civilization "Mesopotamia", was because Mesopotamia means "the land
between the rivers". The world's first civilization developed in southeastern Mesopotamia,in a region
called Sumer. Mesopotamia is located between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. This area was part of
the Fertile Crescent, which stretches from the eastern coast of the Mediterranean sea to the Persian
Gulf.
The economic set–up of Mesopotamia centered primarily around trading and farming. Being
between the Tigris and Euphrates river really helped with the farming side. The people of
Mesopotamia made a very organized irrigation system from the two rivers...show more content...
Mesopotamians were polytheistic, worshiping in many gods. These gods were thought to control
every aspect of life, especially the forces of nature. They built these things called ziggurats. A
ziggurat was a large stepped temple. They thought that the ziggurats were dedicated to each god or
goddess. The people of Mesopotamia alse believed in the afterlife. In their belief, all people lived
after death in a grim underworld from which there was no release.
Mesopotamia government was set–up as a hereditary rule and theocracy . Theocracy means the
government is led around their religion and beliefs. The hereditary rule means that the power
passes from father to son(with one family.) The king or ruler was responsible for maintaining city
walls and irrigation systems. The ruler also collected taxes, enforced laws, and led armies into war.
The king was also seen as like a priest. He was like a chief servant of the gods and led ceremonies
meant to please the gods.
Mesopotamia had a lot of achievements. There most famous achievements are cuneiform, system of
pictograms, mathematics, astronomy, and Epic of Gilgamesh. Cuneiform is one of their greatest
achievements. Cuneiform is a system of writing that used wedged–shaped marks. Another big
achievement is the system of pictograms. Pictograms is a pictorial symbol for word or phrase. Those
two achievements were mainly the most important because that's how they

Essay On Mesopotamia

Recommended

Recommended

More Related Content

Similar to Essay On Mesopotamia

Similar to Essay On Mesopotamia (10)

More from Best Online Paper Writing Service

More from Best Online Paper Writing Service (20)

Recently uploaded

Recently uploaded (20)

Essay On Mesopotamia