Comparison Between Egypt and Mesopotamia
Comparison Essay
Leith Kusmider Before the modern civilizations we all live in came to be as they are today, countless others have risen and fallen before our time. No two civilizations are exactly the same, but they all do what is necessary to survive and thrive. Many find survival through military power while others find it through trade or an agriculturally based economy. It has been like this since the birth of civilization. Two of the civilizations that marked the birth of all others that rose after them, were Mesopotamia and Egypt. Although they are similar in their geographic stand points and their agriculturally based economy, they have distinct differences in their government structures and their social stratification. The placement of a civilization on a globe often defines how that civilization survives; Mesopotamia and Egypt are no exception. Each civilization was heavily affected by their geographic standing, Egypt was found in a desert that would be nearly uninhabitable if not for the large river that the Egyptian civilization was able to build its massive empire surrounding, the Nile river. The Nile is the reason Egypt was able to thrive in such a harsh climate. With no other constant source of water found for hundreds of miles, Egypt learned to use their only source of water efficiently. They were dependent upon the Nile for food, water, transportation, irrigation and to use as a natural barrier from possible enemies. The ancient Egyptian civilization was dependent upon the Nile while Mesopotamia was dependent upon the Fertile Crescent; the obviously fertile land was between the Euphrates and Tigris River. Similar to the Egyptians, Mesopotamia was dependent upon the rivers surrounding them to survive. They used these rivers as Egypt used the Nile, it provided fertile land for growing crops, water, irrigation and it provided a faster source of transportation. But in many ways the Fertile Crescent lead to the fall Mesopotamia, it is
Leith Kusmider Before the modern civilizations we all live in came to be as they are today, countless others have risen and fallen before our time. No two civilizations are exactly the same, but they all do what is necessary to survive and thrive. Many find survival through military power while others find it through trade or an agriculturally based economy. It has been like this since the birth of civilization. Two of the civilizations that marked the birth of all others that rose after them, were Mesopotamia and Egypt. Although they are similar in their geographic stand points and their agriculturally based economy, they have distinct differences in their government structures and their social stratification. The placement of a civilization on a globe often defines how that civilization survives; Mesopotamia and Egypt are no exception. Each civilization was heavily affected by their geographic standing, Egypt was found in a desert that would be nearly uninhabitable if not for the large river that the Egyptian civilization was able to build its massive empire surrounding, the Nile river. The Nile is the reason Egypt was able to thrive in such a harsh climate. With no other constant source of water found for hundreds of miles, Egypt learned to use their only source of water efficiently. They were dependent upon the Nile for food, water, transportation, irrigation and to use as a natural barrier from possible enemies. The ancient Egyptian civilization was dependent upon the Nile while Mesopotamia was dependent upon the Fertile Crescent; the obviously fertile land was between the Euphrates and Tigris River. Similar to the Egyptians, Mesopotamia was dependent upon the rivers surrounding them to survive. They used these rivers as Egypt used the Nile, it provided fertile land for growing crops, water, irrigation and it provided a faster source of transportation. But in many ways the Fertile Crescent lead to the fall Mesopotamia, it is