Similarities Between Gilgamesh And Mesopotamia
AP World History
Perceptions of Gods Deep in the region in the Arabian Desert is where two of the earliest civilizations resided. Their names are Egypt and Mesopotamia. These two societies resided near major rivers as their source of water for agriculture. Egypt developed into a self sufficient empire that entailed agriculture, social hierarchy, and religion. Mesopotamia used irrigation and developed cities with governments and formed new religious thoughts based off of the unknown. Their polytheistic religious beliefs became established around the period 3,000 B.C.E. Both Egypt and Mesopotamia believed in polytheism and ruled with theocracy; however their behavior towards the gods varied. Mesopotamian and Egyptian were polytheistic. Polytheism means they believed in more than one god. For example, Babylonians of Mesopotamia believed in the gods Tiamat and Marduk. We know not just Babylon’s religious beliefs, but many Mesopotamian cultures gods because of historical writings such as the Epic of Gilgamesh. The Epic of Gilgamesh talks about Gilgamesh’s conquest for …show more content…
Theocracy is the ruling of people in the name of a god. Different Mesopotamian societies had their own forms of theocracy. One example, is King Hammurabi Babylon (r. 1792-1750 B.C.E.) claimed to be chosen by Marduk to rule. He used this power to create the “law code”, one of the first forms of written law in a society. Egypt was ruled the same way. The Pharaoh was indeed a god in human form. Specifically he was the god Horus that waited the rejoining of his father Osiris in the afterlife. Pharaoh had power over the wealth and resources of people. Unlike Mesopotamia, they would tax people’s crops. This is proven by an excerpt from Ramesside Texts Relating to the Taxation and Transport of Corn, “And now the scribe lands on the river-bank and is about to register the
Perceptions of Gods Deep in the region in the Arabian Desert is where two of the earliest civilizations resided. Their names are Egypt and Mesopotamia. These two societies resided near major rivers as their source of water for agriculture. Egypt developed into a self sufficient empire that entailed agriculture, social hierarchy, and religion. Mesopotamia used irrigation and developed cities with governments and formed new religious thoughts based off of the unknown. Their polytheistic religious beliefs became established around the period 3,000 B.C.E. Both Egypt and Mesopotamia believed in polytheism and ruled with theocracy; however their behavior towards the gods varied. Mesopotamian and Egyptian were polytheistic. Polytheism means they believed in more than one god. For example, Babylonians of Mesopotamia believed in the gods Tiamat and Marduk. We know not just Babylon’s religious beliefs, but many Mesopotamian cultures gods because of historical writings such as the Epic of Gilgamesh. The Epic of Gilgamesh talks about Gilgamesh’s conquest for …show more content…
Theocracy is the ruling of people in the name of a god. Different Mesopotamian societies had their own forms of theocracy. One example, is King Hammurabi Babylon (r. 1792-1750 B.C.E.) claimed to be chosen by Marduk to rule. He used this power to create the “law code”, one of the first forms of written law in a society. Egypt was ruled the same way. The Pharaoh was indeed a god in human form. Specifically he was the god Horus that waited the rejoining of his father Osiris in the afterlife. Pharaoh had power over the wealth and resources of people. Unlike Mesopotamia, they would tax people’s crops. This is proven by an excerpt from Ramesside Texts Relating to the Taxation and Transport of Corn, “And now the scribe lands on the river-bank and is about to register the