Egyptian and Shang civilizations had many similarities. Most notable was their politics. Both had powerful kings, though the Egyptian kings were known as Pharaohs. The leaders of both civilizations were political as well as religious leaders. Pharaohs were viewed as gods of Earth and had a great deal of religious influence over the Egyptian people.
Due to people being the by product of the gods people must have deemed it fit to obey and worship these all mighty creators. The pharaoh of the people certainly must have had a “supernatural” touch in the sense that people listened to him due to the fact his appointment was also influenced by the gods who created everything. “The kings of ancient Egypt were an integral part of religion. They formed a bridge over the chasm dividing the people and the gods. ”The deep rooted religious beliefs of the people made it easier to the hierarchy to give orders and have people obey them the entire length of the nation.
This region became one of the most fertile lands in all of Babylon. It was believed by the people that Hammurabi was chosen and influenced by the gods. Thus, whatever he enforced as a law was also believed as the law of the gods. Hammurabi and his people believed Marduk, the supreme god, chose him to create and enforce this code. Hammurabi ruled the Babylonian empire from 1792-50 BCE.
An Nguyen History 103 Theme paper 2 5/12/2009 Religion and Politics in Ancient Laws Throughout the ages of history, code laws were created to keep peace for civilizations. These codes were made with the purpose of attaching the so called “human laws” as close to “heaven laws” as possible no matter which civilization or which religion. Therefore, I want to show the attachment of the political and religious interpretation of the laws by examining the Hammurabi codes and Justinian codes and using the common phenomena method. According to Mesopotamia carvings, the king is commonly the biggest figure in any scene that includes him. So there is no denial to the fact that kings were indeed the figure of God.
Therefore, Egyptians were able to build sturdier buildings than in Mesopotamia. Also, Egypt bordered on the side of a massive sea and on another side by an impenetrable desert. This made it very difficult to invade or conquer Egypt. Mesopotamia on the other hand, was much more vulnerable because it was open to attack on almost all sides. The one common thing the two civilizations shared when it came to religion was the fact that they both practiced polytheism.
Like government, they were both ruled by individuals, who had power and wealth and set themselves as “Kings”. Mesopotamia’s ruler, Hammurabi, had set a code of laws that he posted throughout the kingdom of Babylon to let commoners know punishment for crimes. On the other hand Egypt, had already settled a kingdom early in its history. Egypt would call their king “Pharaoh” , they were more focused on the religious aspects of life. The Pharaoh would be
They were paid more and were highly educated compared to everyone else in Egypt except the Pharaohs and other Scribes. There are very famous and special areas inside these temples. One of which is Hypostyle Hall which is a hall inside of the Karnak Temple, Hypostyle Hall is a hall with Hieroglyphics everywhere and was made by Ramses. A very interesting fact about the Karnak temple is that it is very religious. It is in fact the largest religious area in ancient Egypt.
Highly stratified with elaborate class structure and the priest were the highest caste. Developed trade networks over large distances. Villages linked together though tribute payments, from lesser villages to larger, central, sacred towns. Pottery and carvings in stone columns and buildings. They excelled at skyscrapers, especially as tombs (Tikal).
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.
Ancient Egyptian religion Ancient Egyptian religion was a complex system of polytheistic beliefs and rituals which were an integral part of ancient Egyptian society. It centered on the Egyptians' interaction with a multitude of deities who were believed to be present in, and in control of, the forces and elements of nature. The myths about these gods were meant to explain the origins and behavior of the forces they represented. The practices of Egyptian religion were efforts to provide for the gods and gain their favor. www.wikipedia.org Egyptian religion made an importance through the centuries and today in a way that it was the basis from where Egyptian civilization derived.