More handpicked essays just for you.
Influence of religion in ancient Egyptian economy
How religion influences economy in ancient mesopotamia
Influence of religion in ancient Egyptian economy
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
What will you be doing without any crops or living without writing? Well Mesopotamia created writing and they created irrigation systems which allowed people to grow a surplus (Sur-Plus Surplus means to have extra of something) of food, Mesopotamia was located between the Tigris and Euphrates river Mesopotamia was a successful civilization because their land were fertile and that allowed them to grow a surplus of food by the way did you know that Mesopotamia was the first civilization and they created writing. Mesopotamia impacted the world because they made irrigation systems which allowed them to grow a surplus of food, also they impacted the world because they created writing which allowed people to record events, remember stuff, and to learn. Mesopotamia impacted the world because they created writing which allowed them to learn, record events, and to remember stuff.
Ancient Mesopotamia was a civilization from 4,000 B.C., which was almost 6,000 years ago! A civilization is a large group of non-nomadic people with its language and set of rules, usually advanced for its time. Ancient Mesopotamia, located in the Fertile Crescent (Modern day Iran/Turkey), has been debated for years, with people asking, “should Ancient Mesopotamia be considered the first civilization?” Well, Mesopotamia should be considered the first civilization because of its social structure, politics, and achievements. Ancient Mesopotamia had an advanced social structure for its time.
Ancient civilizations began in areas that had arable land and other features such as rivers. Civilizations succeeded in these environments because they could settle down and not live a nomadic lifestyle. Because the land was arable, agriculture prospered and people relied on the geography to grant them the elements needed for survival. In China and Egypt, geography greatly influenced and affected the lives of the people living there because of the prosperous rivers and large natural barriers.
These civilizations include the Sumerians, Akkadians, Babylonians, and Assyrians. The Sumerians ruled from 3200 to 2350 BCE, and consisted of many city-states ruled by a king. The Sumerians developed complex irrigation systems, an early form of writing called cuneiform, arches and stepped-pyramids, and domesticated crops such as wheat and barley. The Akkadians ruled from 2350 to 2000 BCE, and came from the city-state of Akkad, located on the Euphrates River. The Akkadian economy was based on agriculture.
Ziggurats were important in ancient Mesopotamia. The tradition of building a ziggurat was started by the Sumerians. Ziggurats went up to be nearly 300 feet tall and 300 feet by 300 feet square at its base. Ziggurats showed that the city was dedicated to a god. At the very top of the ziggurat was a shrine to the god.
The Egyptian Middle Kingdom and Babylonia had many similarities related in geography. Despite this they also had numerous distinct differences. Fundamental similarities manifested as care for the people by the rulers which had recently developed in both societies. As the rulers were no longer concerned with only themselves, but the citizens as well. Both societies had military protection although Babylon organized and conquered the Fertile Crescent and later Egypt.
Cole and Ortega’s The Thinking Past is a book that covers the history of humans and civilization. The authors cover the transition of humans from a hunter-gatherer life into a sedentary life, forming the civilizations we know today. This transition can be witnessed through the character, Enkidu, in The Epic of Gilgamesh. Enkidu—a glorified forager—is created by the gods to keep the King of Uruk, Gilgamesh, in check.
Although the Mesopotamians and Egyptians of 3500 to 1500 B.C.E. were similar due to social hierarchy and power roles, nevertheless, the differences between Mesopotamians and Egyptians are evident with politics. This is because of the way Egyptians saw opposing countries as enemies and how Mesopotamians saw other countries as trading partners. The Mesopotamians viewed their priests as extremely powerful people, believing that priests were connected spiritually to the gods and worked hard to appease the gods. The priests would use this to their advantage. For example, selling amulets to citizens to ‘ward off evil spirits’ was just a business move for the priests to make more money and keep their power.
Ur is an example of a civilization because it had the five characteristics needed to be considered one. Having advanced cities, specialized workers, complex institutions, record keepers, and advanced technology are the five characteristics. Ur was a huge civilization located in the region of Sumer, which is now located in Southern Iraq. The people of Ur had a class system, religious orders, and a thriving economy which were helped by their ability to irrigate their crops. Some of the people of Ur worshiped Moon Goddess Nanna in the ziggurat of Ur. Said ziggurat had a temple on top where the people worshipped and made sacrifices.
Despite a steady trading relationship, Mesopotamian and Egyptian societies have very dissimilar views on life and the afterlife. Indeed, Mesopotamian civilization certainly had much stricter views of life and the afterlife. This is likely a reflection of the frequent nature of wars and violence in this highly urbanized society (83). As a result, their views of the fragility of their mortality seemed to be pessimistically realistic. They seemed to accept that their gods gave them this life and nothing else.
3000 BCE: Cuneiform (History) In Ancient Mesopotamia, the Sumerians developed the earliest standardized writing system: Cuneiform. Small marks were made with a pointed, wedge-shaped stylus on clay tablets, and were used to recorded business transactions. (Style) In its early forms, Cuneiform was written in columns from top to bottom. As many of the symbols were reoriented on their sides, the writing direction also turned to rows from left to right.
Geography not only plays a part in the spread of a religion but also can be inspiration or reflection for the religion itself. Many societies have numerous deities inspired by the landscape in and around their civilization. However, I believe not all religions drew inspiration from the land they lived in. Mesopotamian societies had multiple gods. Most deities represented cosmic forces of nature such as the sun, moon, water, and storms who were responsible for the creation of the earth (World Societies p. 36).
Ancient Mesopotamia and Ancient Egypt were two early human civilizations that lived during the bronze age in harsh desert environments located not far from each other. Both civilizations were built around rivers that they depended on for survival. There is evidence that these rivers had great influence on both the societies politics and culture. Egypt was built around the very strong and reliable Nile River. Ancient Mesopotamia was established in the fertile crescent between the less reliable Tigris and Euphrates Rivers.
The Bronze Age took place in Mesopotamia from 3300 to 1300 BCE. The Bronze Age is known for the introduction of bronze into everyday society to build tools, weapons, and jewelry. The Bronze age is also known for bronze becoming a prominent part of life, cities growing, trade increase, and strong religious values. During the Bronze Age in Mesopotamia, religion played a key role in social structure and the success of communities. Rulers of city-states were chosen by the gods, and priests were high up on the social ladder.
Though they shared many broad similarities, such as polytheistic religions, written traditions and agricultural society, they also had many differences. These contrasts were to do with geographic alignment, political organization, cultural emphases, and other aspects. This has impacted innovative thinking and was the start of architectural evolution and is still used in twenty-first century design, and comprehensive planning. “Monumental architecture is any structure of which its scale and elaboration exceed or surpass the requirements of any practical functions and purpose that a building in intended to perform. ”(Trigger, 1990).
