Compare and Contrast the Development of Ancient Near East and Mediterranean

¶ … civilization in the ancient Near East (3500-1000 B.C.E.) and the Mediterranean (1000 B.C.E. - 500 C.E.) shared a great number of similarities as well as numerous differences. These points of comparison covered the political, economic, and social realms, cultural and intellectual ideas, as well as values and institutions. Further, each civilization differed in their specific impact on the creation of Western civilization, and the degree of that impact.

Civilization in the ancient Mediterranean (1000 B.C.E. - 500 C.E.) arose out of a number of important causes. First, the location of the Mediterranean area between three continents, and the influence of civilizations like Mesopotamia, India and China nearby. Further, the excellent communication by sea, the mild climate, and the invention of writing were important factors in encouraging the development of civilization in the area (Poiycratis).

The history of civilization in the Mediterranean is not one of a single cultural, political, social, or even economic entity. Instead, the ancient Mediterranean was characterized by a number of separate civilizations that sprang out of the fertile area. While contact between each civilization was often extensive, separate cultures, values, institution, as well as political and economic systems appeared. Among the ancient Mediterranean populations were the Egyptians, the Lyndians, the Phoenicians, the Hebrews, the Island of Cyprus, and the Romans (Poiycratis).

The Hebrews played an important part in the development of civilization in the Mediterranean. They moved to Canaan (The Land of Promise), and created a flourishing state. The Hebrews moved often, taking in local civilizations. It was in this Hebrew civilization that the older religion of Judaism gave rise to Christianity and Islam (Poiycratis).

In the Mediterranean, the period between 500 B.C.-300 A.D. (known as the Classical period) may mark the greatest advances in civilization. The great Greek civilization appeared in this time, and marked ground breaking advances in science, art, and literature. In terms of politics, the first democratic experiment began, while values like truth and justice were espoused. The Greeks saw mankind as capable of building a great culture built upon intellect, reason, and truth (Poiycratis).

Around 333 B.C., the Island of Cyprus came under the rule of Alexander the Great, and quickly developed into a center of commerce. Alexander (King of Macedonia) had been tutored by the great Greek thinker Aristotle, and Alexander began to spread many Greek ideals as he conquered lands (Poiycratis).

By 500 B.C. The Mediterranean was dominated by Roman rule, and Romans had subjugated the Greeks by 170 B.C. In true Roman style, the conquerors adopted Greek technology and culture. Under Roman rule, Mediterranean civilization continued to thrive, with many advances in law, government administration, and engineering. This Greco-Roman period dominated the Mediterranean (Poiycratis).

Overall, the rise of civilization in the Mediterranean had an enormous impact on the creation of Western civilization. Greek thought, disseminated by both the Romans and Alexander the Great forms much of the basis of the modern world. Further, many Roman influences (in law and engineering, especially) are seen in Western culture. In addition, the Hebrew legacy of Christianity has profoundly influenced the modern Western world.

In the ancient Near East (3500-1000 B.C.E.), civilization marks a wide geographical area and timeframe. Land from the Black sea to Egypt, and from the borders of Iran and Afghanistan to Anatolia and Levant made up the area of the ancient Near East. The history of civilization in the region ranges from the earliest written texts to the time of the fall of Alexander the Great in 300 B.C. In the ancient Near East, great civilizations made great advances in art, writing, cities, and written law (Ancientnewreast.com).

Cultural groups within the ancient Near East were diverse, and included the Sumerians, Akkadians, Assyrians, Babylonians, and Persians. Ancient Mesopotamian culture was perhaps the most influential in the rise of civilization in the ancient Near East. Sumerian culture (3100-2000 B.C.E.) was an important part of civilization in the ancient Near east. Sumerian culture saw the development of the Sumerian language, art, as well as the writing of the Epic of Gilgamesh. Ancient Babylonia (2000-1600 B.C.E.) saw the rise of great cities as well as the emergence of creation myths and a strong, unifying religion (Ancientnewreast.com; Carlos).

Writing is perhaps the most important legacy of civilization in the ancient near East. Around 3500 B.E., Sumerians began to develop a system of writing based on pictographs. This form began to be replaced by cuneiform writing, which used pictures to represent sounds (Carlos).