Mesopotamia Contrast Essay

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Mesopotamia and the Indus Valley civilizations have long been compared throughout history and were both some of the earliest civilizations in the world. Mesopotamia, also known as, 'the land between the rivers,' was named for the triangular area between the Tigris and the Euphrates rivers. This area has been extended and now covers modern day Iraq. The Indus civilization is often referred to as the Harappan civilization. The Indus civilization existed in the river plains of what are now Pakistan and northwestern India between the Indus and Ganges rivers. Though these two territories had many things in common due to their surrounding geographies, they also differed in some fundamental ways such as economy, government, and religion. The Indus Valley Civilization flourished on the fertile plains of the Indus river. Farming was the main occupation of the people. The Indus Valley Civilization was, however, a highly urbanized civilization. There was a large section of the population that was not involved in agriculture, but relied on the farmers in the rural areas for their food. The city dwellers were engaged in occupations like arts and crafts, trade, and seal making. While definite evidence is still lacking, research indicates that there was an organized economic system. One in which the interdependence of the cities and rural areas was marked. The plains of Mesopotamia are perfect for high food production. The economy was based on agriculture, mainly the cultivation of barley. Barley was used daily as payment and wages. Barley was also used to make beer. Other products were oil, flax, wheat, fruit, and vegetables. Wool production was large and used to make an assortment of textile fabrics. Even though the Indus River Valley civilization's government is somewhat of a mystery, we do know that they had some kind of a central government. Perhaps the undeciphered seals

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