Comparing Ancient Cultures

A Comparison of Ancient Cultures
Just as our world today is incredibly diverse and yet startlingly similar, so too was the ancient world. The ancient world was comprised of a myriad of diverse civilizations that were spread across the globe. Among these civilizations were the cultural groups of Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. It is often easier to find differences in these groups than to compare them. However, in a broad sense, these groups have a great many likenesses. Although these cultures are dissimilar in many ways, they do have some comparable characteristics. These civilizations share many similarities, must prominently in their religions, political structures, and technological achievements.
The religious lives of ancient civilizations may not have been identical, but they share many characteristics. Almost all of the ancient civilizations in question began with some form of paganism or polytheism that dominated the area. Many, including those of
In many ancient societies, the political leader was also a spiritual or religious leader. In the Americas, Africa, and Asia, political and religious leaders were one and the same. Even those civilizations that had separate political rulers and religious leaders typically had religious influence on politics or vice versa, with European rulers promoting their religion in conquered territories and Middle Eastern rulers gaining important advice from their religious advisors. Asia and Africa saw female rulers that effectively led their societies. A type of government comparable to the European feudal system of government emerged in Asia as a relationship between a samurai and his lord. The kingdom as a political unit was a part of every ancient civilization in question. This, along with the parallels in religions among ancient civilizations, makes clear that ancient people lived under similar social