comparative AP World History Around 2,500 B.C many civilizations began to develop. Egypt and Mesopotamia were two of the civilizations that developed. They however had different governments and structures. These two civilizations were similar in the fact that they developed along rivers and built irrigational systems. However Egypt had more differences than similarities between Mesopotamia.
In chapter 2: The Art of Mesopotamia and Egypt were in some ways very much alike. Mesopotamia and Egypt both had a great agriculture that helped them gain a little wealth. The Nile was a big part of the agriculture between the people. The most important waterways were the Indus and the Huang He in Asia, the Danube in Europe, and the Mississippi in North America. These rivers helped farmers with transportation, which then helped their agriculture grow.
Throughout all of these changes, the first civilizations of mankind were born. At that time, the two major civilizations were Mesopotamia and Egypt. They were similar and different in numerous ways. Egypt developed a unified state while Mesopotamia had many competing states, Egypt produced more wheat while Mesopotamia produced more barely, and similarly, the two civilizations lived near river valleys. Both Mesopotamia and Egypt had important rivers that benefited them.
But after the collapse of Rome, Persia, and Han or classical societies, trading fell. In addition to, once the Mongols took power in 1200 CE, trade along the Silk Road increased. This is because of the safety of the Silk Road because the Mongols protected it. Interactions on the Silk Road changed as related to amount of trading because different societies had different economies and different technologies. Classical societies traded in the Silk Road because it was the fastest and cheapest to do.
Egypt also grew papyrus reeds, had good fishing, and hunted animals by the river banks. Mesopotamia on the other hand developed an irrigation system because their rivers were a little less predictable. Both civilizations knew how to take advantage and adapt to their natural resources. The way of life in these two locations shared some similarity but also some differences. Like government, they were both ruled by individuals, who had power and wealth and set themselves as “Kings”.
It was believed that the kings were the gods’ representatives on earth; the kings had special privileges and special tasks that they had to accomplish. For example the kings ruled by special divinity and were set apart/ away from all other people including the priests. Kings also had to respect and glorify the gods through offerings just as the rest of the people the only thing that was different was that the kings had a greater commitment than the rest because their power was greater than the peoples or priests. The Ubaid people created central locations for places of adoration, and the buildings were used for economic and administrative purposes. Uruk, was a more urbanized version of the Ubaid
Comparative Essay Both Classical India and Classical China were organized societies with strong centralized governments and complex institutions. Although there were some similarities in their political structure, there were also many differences because of the belief systems which shaped the social and political order of each society. Those belief systems differed in both India and China, they also changed over time due to the creation of new religions or laws. While all of the beliefs affected the political and social structure, some like Legalism and Confucianism were providing big impact on it, while others like Hinduism, Buddhism and Daoism were purely the religions of salvation and harmony with nature. Classical China (1029
The change or advancement in transportation as it pertains to the trading patterns of these two regions, happened relatively quickly. West Africa and the Mediterranean region began to utilize more advanced vessels, after observing and hearing about the conversion of other regions to these advanced ways of transporting goods. The drastic and rapid change of transportation allowed for trading to be completed efficiently and effectively. These vessels really made the process of trading simple and stress-free. Thus, promoting trading with other regions, to benefit your region.
The Shang believed in Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism, while the Egyptian religion was centered on the ruler and the eternity of the soul. The two civilizations possessed political differences, too. For instance, Shang military officials had more power than the governors did in Egypt. Shang was also a little more organized. However, Shang had human sacrifices, usually prisoners of war, as a way of honoring the gods.
Therefore, each city state had its own deities, kings, laws and culture. Conflicts and friction started for the dominance of the region because of the overlapping of these growing cities. Sumerian society showed a distinct social system with a ruling class formed by nobles and priests, a middle class of merchants, scribes and artisans, and finally a lower class made up mainly of farmers (1). Sumerians were creative and likely may be the first on developing a writing system to record diverse events such as taxes, agricultural records, codified set of laws and epic novels. They also established a numerical system that they used to build from calendars to pyramids.