As is the case for most modern day scientific advances, as they found their beginning in Egypt and Mesopotamia over five thousand years ago. The remains of palaces and the pyramids show the engineering skills of these ancients. Besides these engineering skills, Egyptians devised ways of measurement which allowed each Egyptian to get his own land back following the seasonal flooding of the Nile River. The early Egyptians also had a good working knowledge of chemistry which was exhibited as they prepared metals, made wine, paints, perfumes, and cosmetics. Also, the ancient Greeks were credited with many developments that have led to modern day sciences.
Ancient Egyptian Religion The Force Behind Everything As the ancient Egyptian religion was an important part of everyday life for all Egyptians (rich and poor), they built a great many temples and had shrines in their homes. The term used to describe ancient Egyptian theology is Polytheism. This just means that they believed in many Gods. Gods were not only formless entities with certain roles - but the Gods were also the forces of nature, the elements, and the characteristics of certain powers. Some Egyptian Gods merged with foreign Gods too.
In moments where a decision had to be made quickly, a leader was generally appointed. As the region and its people expanded, the need for a leader also increased. Hammurabi aimed to win the friendship of all the societies in Mesopotamia. He did so by repairing their walls and temples and building canals that produced great harvests throughout all the land. This region became one of the most fertile lands in all of Babylon.
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.
The one common thing the two civilizations shared when it came to religion was the fact that they both practiced polytheism. They also both had a place where they worshiped the gods. But the distinction between the two religious views was large. The Egyptians believed in the idea of a death and resurrection for all people, or an afterlife. This was not so true in Mesopotamia.
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.
The Unique Culture of Egypt While the Sumerian civilization was developing, a similar process took place along the banks of the Nile River. Yet, the two civilization’s culture was very different. Egypt was united into a single kingdom, which allowed it to enjoy a high degree of unity, stability, and culture continuality over a period of 3,000 years. The geography, writing, architectural structures, society, and their process of mummification made the Egyptian culture unique compared to the other civilizations of the time. The Ancient Egyptians thought of Egypt as being divided into two types of land, the “black land” and the “red land.
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.
Though Mesopotamia and Egypt were alike there were some differences between the two. With Mesopotamia gaining all the wealth from agriculture and with a few natural defenses, this made the people susceptible to have more invasions and to have internal conflicts. Egypt on the other had didn’t have as many interruptions as Mesopotamia, because of the high mountains and deserts helped to protect the Nile Valley. In Egypt their main focus was the funerary practices. The rulers devoted their time to the design and decoration of extensive funerary complexes, as well as the pyramids and subterranean tombs.
One of the theories includes the use of PHI, Golden Mean which is equal to 1.618, in the Great Pyramid (Orcutt). There are some effects of the Great Pyramid on mathematics which includes the use of mathematics in constructing buildings and other structures. The pyramid also made mankind to research more about how it was designed, which led to the theories of how Egyptians used mathematics. The pyramid is highly symmetric and the Egyptians did have knowledge of adding and doubling which I think they applied to the design of the pyramid. It is completely coincidence that the use of the Golden Mean is in the Great Pyramid.