Comparing ancient Sumer and Egypt
Egypt vs Sumer
Back when pharaohs ruled and ziggurats towered, two civilizations rose to form the customs and cultures of today. Ancient Egypt and ancient Sumer were the first two civilizations to establish what we know now as every day life. Even though both of the empires were located relatively close in the whole scheme of things, both cultures evolved utterly different. They differed in four main categories: geography, how they interacted with others, religion, and government.
Ancient Egypt was a very unique culture mostly because of the fact that nature provided natural protection from the outside world. Their geography determined everything about they way they live. The Libyan Desert, Mediterranean Sea and cataracts, were all major difficulties in getting in and out of Egypt. The Nile River is another attribute to the uniqueness of Egypt. Every thing that they have comes form the Nile, Their clothes, paper, some gods, food, and water. The Nile floods every year to provide a "black earth". No life could exist within ten miles of the Nile.
The Nile also provided a natural "highway" for later merchants and armies. Tombs of the ancient pharaohs were built utilizing the Nile. Egypt's geography had a large impact on Egyptian society.
Ancient Sumer's geography was completely different than that of its neighbor Egypt. The few natural barriers were not nearly as difficult to cross as Egypt's. Instead of just one river, in Sumer they had two major waterways, the Euphrates and the Tigris. These rivers were not as gentle as the flowing Nile. When they flooded they FLOODED! Entire villages washed away and people drowned in the mighty force of the rivers. Crops wouldn't grow near the rivers because all of the topsoil got washed away.
Interaction with other cultures did not happen in ancient Egypt until about 1700 B.C. when foreign invaders, the Hyksos, conquered Egypt. They awed the Egyptians with their horse drawn carriages. For over a hundred years these intruders
Back when pharaohs ruled and ziggurats towered, two civilizations rose to form the customs and cultures of today. Ancient Egypt and ancient Sumer were the first two civilizations to establish what we know now as every day life. Even though both of the empires were located relatively close in the whole scheme of things, both cultures evolved utterly different. They differed in four main categories: geography, how they interacted with others, religion, and government.
Ancient Egypt was a very unique culture mostly because of the fact that nature provided natural protection from the outside world. Their geography determined everything about they way they live. The Libyan Desert, Mediterranean Sea and cataracts, were all major difficulties in getting in and out of Egypt. The Nile River is another attribute to the uniqueness of Egypt. Every thing that they have comes form the Nile, Their clothes, paper, some gods, food, and water. The Nile floods every year to provide a "black earth". No life could exist within ten miles of the Nile.
The Nile also provided a natural "highway" for later merchants and armies. Tombs of the ancient pharaohs were built utilizing the Nile. Egypt's geography had a large impact on Egyptian society.
Ancient Sumer's geography was completely different than that of its neighbor Egypt. The few natural barriers were not nearly as difficult to cross as Egypt's. Instead of just one river, in Sumer they had two major waterways, the Euphrates and the Tigris. These rivers were not as gentle as the flowing Nile. When they flooded they FLOODED! Entire villages washed away and people drowned in the mighty force of the rivers. Crops wouldn't grow near the rivers because all of the topsoil got washed away.
Interaction with other cultures did not happen in ancient Egypt until about 1700 B.C. when foreign invaders, the Hyksos, conquered Egypt. They awed the Egyptians with their horse drawn carriages. For over a hundred years these intruders