Comparison of the Aztecs and Sumerians

Most everyone knows about the great civilizations of the Sumerians and the Aztecs. If anyone were to visit the land that the Sumerians inhabited, they might not be able to imagine how these people were able to survive and flourish. The land there is dry and hot, with extreme temperatures. Hardly any vegetation survives in the area. However, the Sumerians did find a way in which they could live in the area and live bountifully (Landau 10-12). The Aztec Empire, on the other hand, appeared in Central America at a time when it seemed impossible to begin a civilization on an island in the middle of a lake. The island was not big enough for a thriving population. Nevertheless, the Aztecs overcame these challenges, flourished and became a powerful empire (Warburton 27). Although 3,000 years and half a world apart, the Sumerians and Aztecs shared common characteristics, like writing systems and religion. Both started where no one else dared. The Sumerians thrived in a desert, the Aztecs on an island, and both realized they needed to give up nomadic ways. As these civilizations grew larger both groups needed a common set of laws to control their people who were assimilated from various tribes. Both societies made many laws and punishments for crimes the citizens might commit. Sumerian punishments were some of the first to be more humane. The Aztec laws were not as pleasant as the Sumerians. Unlike the Sumerians who may have believed that punishment could lead to rehabilitation, Aztec law usually called for the death penalty for most law breakers. As the Sumerians and Aztecs began to codify their laws they needed a way to pass these laws down from generation to generation and be enforced equally throughout the empire. This is how the Sumerian and Aztec written languages came into being. The Sumerians developed cuneiform, which at first was one only of pictures, but in time it evolved into a more complete form to include symbols (Landau 33). The Aztecs created a written

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