C/C Mesopotamia And Egypt Socially

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Around 3000 B.C.E (6000 Years ago), existed four ancient civilizations, two of which are classified as Mesopotamia and Egypt. Mesopotamia’s location was along the Tigris and Euphrates River, while Egypt’s establishment was adjacent to the Nile River. Mesopotamia’s lifestyle was comparable to Egypt’s in various ways. Both Mesopotamia and Egypt created a centralized government and complex social hierarchy due to advancements in agriculture, however in Egypt women experienced greater liberties then their counterparts in Mesopotamia. Both Mesopotamia and Egypt developed along parallel lines. These civilizations, as they became more complex, created centralized governments which provided order within the realms. Centralized governments in Mesopotamia and Egypt could not have risen without advancements in agriculture. Advancements in agriculture provided a larger yield of crops which in turn provided a surplus. This surplus caused a population increase. This population increase in turn provided an increased amount of taxable income. One of the key factors of a centralized government in both Mesopotamia and Egypt was the collection of taxes. The collection of taxes in both of these realms ensured that a bureaucracy was financed. The peoples of the regions paid taxes in grains and services. In turn the kings of these regions would use the grain to pay the bureaucracy. Therefore, through the collection of taxes which financed the bureaucracy, a centralized government existed in both regions. The bureaucracies in which taxes paid for in both of these regions financed positions such as administrators, military personals, scribes, tax collectors, nobles, and priests. The bureaucracy in both regions sustained the centralized government to keep order. These positions kept order by providing security, as in the case of the military. Nobles and priests provided labor for the king
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