They have these bathing houses in most villages and cities in the Indus River Valley, but in Mesopotamia, they have these only in their largest cities. Most of the houses in both of the Mesopotamian and Indus Valley civilizations comprised of sun-dried mud bricks. This building material was quite common because these civilizations were located near rivers, and there is always a surplus of mud in wet areas, like a riverbed, etc. As stated earlier, most of the houses were made of sun-dried mud bricks, but not all. The rest of the residences were made of wood.
However, evidence shows that Sumer, Egypt, and China believed in gods closely related to nature. They looked to them for protection and help. In each religion they had priests that communicated with the gods. Each culture established diverse systems of writing and noticeable architecture. They also made different inventions that are important to the world.
By having a written language Egypt now had a written history instead of things being based off of memory. The history would include a chronological list of the kings whom had served as Egypt’s ruler. The new technique also provided things such as written laws, an expansion of culture, religious inscriptions such as spells to protect the dead, biographies and autobiographies, stories, and a means of recording things regarding business relations. The development of a written language benefited Egypt in many ways, but another discovery also had quite an impact on Egypt and is still held in high regards today. Another technique that emerges in Egypt is monumental architecture.
The river valleys of the Nile in Egypt and the Euphrates in Mesopotamia both had similarities and differences. Both of these river valley civilizations started around 3500 B.C. An absolute monarch called the Pharaoh ruled the Nile River Valley. The Egyptians believed their king was a god and worshiped him like one. The Mesopotamian’s also had an overall king but they didn’t believe he was a god.
Comparative Essay Both Mesopotamia and Egypt between 6000- 3500 B.C.E. had similarities and differences. Both regions shared similar cultural aspects in regard to religion, writing, and literature. However, Mesopotamia and Egypt differ in regards to politics concerning structure, government, and leadership as well as social structure as it regards to gender roles, classes, and hierarchical figures. Both regions shared cultural aspects in regard to religion, writing, and literature.
This was a great achievement not previously seen in other periods of time. Riley contends, “True cities were possible when these advanced Neolithic settlements used their increased agricultural productivity to create specialized artists, metalworkers, architects, writers, accountants, bureaucrats, physicians, and scientist, and to institutionalize their skills and achievements.” (48) The Sumerians were one of the earliest urban societies to emerge in the world, in Southern Mesopotamia more than 5,000 years ago. These great early architects built the city of Ur which exemplified this urbanization to the fullest by building near the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. By choosing this location the Sumerians “built irrigation systems that increased
Houses were built from stone walls and roofed with pole and thatch. This was the basic home for lower level Mayan people. However, the Mayan kings lived in huge homes like palaces (Sharer, 111). Pyramids were severely inclined with decorative foundations and stairs that were not able to be climbed. Facades were also made with copious amounts of decorations and serpentine elements that integrated the rain god, Chaac (Mayan Architectural Styles).
The Phoenicians had extremely smart people and scholars. The Assyrians had a massive library called the Library of Ashurbanipal in Nineveh. Besides the knowledge, these two populaces had very different values. In conclusion, the Phoenicians and the Assyrians, with a few exceptions, had many differences in their cultures. The Phoenicians were a peaceful people focused on trade and had a somewhat balanced legal system.
Chapter 4 3) In what ways was the Persian Empire similar to the Neo-Assyrian Empire, and in what ways was it different? The Assyrian empire is today’s Iraq and the Persian Empire is Iran, they are neighbors there for there are many similarities as culture, agricultural, traditions and other areas. The Assyrians spoke the language of Aramaic, while the Persians spoke a different language called Farsi. The Persian where well known for their military power and conquer style, While the Assyrians even thought they had a great military, economic and political structure, they were more as an establish region. Back in the days the Persians and Assyrians use to be polytheistic however, after Prophet Muhammad introduced Islam, they both became Muslims.
These deities are also represented by wall carvings and hangings, and sculptures of the various deities. In both the Northern and Southern temples, the wall carvings, wall hangings and sculptures tell the viewers the tales of the Gods, both their feats and their defeats, as well as representations of the various aspects of Hindu religious dogma such as the journey to the afterlife, and reincarnation. Kleiner also states that these temples are often joined on an East/West orientation, with rooms designed in a circular pattern. This represents the mandala, an important aspect of Hinduism that represents many different things including the circle of life from birth, death, to rebirth or reincarnation, to the Hindu view of the world as a whole, rather than a collection of elements. (Kleiner, p173) This can be seen not only in the East/West orientation but in the circular design of the temple leading to the inner rooms, shrines and sanctuaries seen in the Vishvanatha Temple.