The Egyptian society tended to think of themselves as superior to other people, so Egyptians frequently eyed foreigners with unwelcomed glares. Another comprises the political development and characteristics. Both ancient Mesopotamia’s and Egypt’s government were ruled by some sort of king. For Egypt, the highest place of the government was the pharaoh, who was not only
They were engaged in trading with the surrounding peoples to get the resources their home land would not provide them with. The Mesopotamians believed that the role of the humans was to serve the gods and to feed them through sacrifice. The king in Mesopotamia was responsible for regulating all aspects of his peoples lives. The Mesopotamians also had a very complex math system and used a number system that was from 1-60. Egyptian people were a more optimistic people than the Mesopotamians, and they valued the water
The Mayans preformed a ritual was to make themselves bleed to please the gods. On the other hand, the Shang thought themselves as superiors to all others. Both these civilizations had similarities, both relied on agriculture and their ruling method. One of the many differences, is the Mayans had a religion while the Shang did not. The Maya and Shang relied on similar agricultural methods and political structures with small kingdoms and one ruler; however, they differed culturally since the Shang had no religion and the Mayans did.
Even though they were very similar, they did have their differences. Both of these civilizations were based on a monarchy/bureaucracy. Each had a supreme leader that stated he got his power to rule from the gods. But there were also bureaucrats to run the extensive area these civilizations once ruled that the king could not control by himself. Trade was an essential part of these societies.
There were some differences between these two early civilizations. The two civilizations had strong governments. Egypt had a highly centralized government where the pharaoh was the main leader that was in charge of everyone and everything. The people believed that the king was more than a man, they believed that he was a god. This gave him absolute control over the matters of the Empire and its people.
Ruling over the kingdom was a pharaoh, who was not only a king but was also seen as a god. Provinces were ruled by monarchs better known as provincial governors. The Egyptians devised themselves into classes, upper class, middle class, and a lower class. The pharaoh and his family were at the top of the Egyptian class system. People could move from one class to another depending on their situations.
The civilizations of Mesopotamia, thus creating a blend of old and new parents. Unlike Egypt. Both civilizations built immense monuments, Sumerians built Ziggurats as monuments for the gods while the Egyptians built Pyramids for tombs. Both were polytheistic, although Akhenaten and Nefertiti attempted to convert Egyptians to monotheists by believing in Aton as the only god but they were not successful. Sumerians produced The Epic of Gilgamesh describes the wanderings of Gilgamesh in search for eternal life.
The Etruscan believed that every physical phenomenon was a clear act of divine power and this power could be dissuaded or persuaded to favor human acts. The Etruscan had a god for everything: The sun, Catha and Usil; a civil god, Selvans; Turan, the goddess of love; there was a god for war, a god for the moon, etc. The Etruscan afterlife was negative, gods were hostile and were said to bring misfortune, so their religion was centered on interpreting the will of the gods and satisfying it. The Egyptian's had a large belief in the afterlife, and also believed heavy in divine right. They believed that every human being was composed of physical and spiritual parts or aspects.
People of high social class would were special clothing to set them apart from the other Maya. farmers were in the lowest Mayan social classes. Slaves, who were usually prisoners of war, were the bottom of Mayan society. Many Mayan cities had pyramids with temples on top that were used for religious ceremonies. The priests were powerful because the Mayans believed that only the priests could perform the religious ceremonies that were needed to please the Mayan gods.
However, the king was not always called a pharoah. This didn't start until the 18th dynasty in 1554 B.C. Before this, pharaoh just refered to the king's palace (“History of The Pharaohs of Ancient Egypt”). The people believed their king was not just merely a man, but that he was a god in human form (Wilson, 14). For this reason, they allowed him to have absolutecontrol over the land, government, economy, people, laws, etc.