Art history overview and major movements

Mesopotamian vs. Egyptian civilizations

This paper will compare and contrast the Mesopotamian and the Egyptian civilizations, in particular the political, social, economical and religious differences. The paper also discusses the role Nature played in each civilization.

The Mesopotamian and Egyptian civilizations were similar in many respects, in that they were both at a similar level of 'advancement', in terms of the development of tools, and cultural and scientific thought (such as language, writing, the use of mathematics) but they differed in some fundamental respects, such as in the place of origin of the civilization (for Mesopotamia in modern-day Iraq, and for Egypt, in modern-day Egypt), and the time period during which the civilization ruled (for the oldest Mesopotamian civilization, the Sumerians, from 5000 BC, and for Egypt for the Old Kingdom, from 2770-2200 BC, to the New Kingdom, from 1560-1087 BC).

In terms of the political structure of the civilizations, Mesopotamia was structured in to Empires, which unified the diverse communities that constituted the Mesopotamians, for example, the Sumerians, the Kassites, the Hittites and the Assyrians. The first such Empire was the Akkadian Empire which represented the first political unification of the Sumerian civilization. In terms of governing the people practically, the Mesopotamians developed and used the Code of Hammurabi, which was basically a code of laws, set in place to ensure good behavior, and to punish bad behavior.

In the Egyptian civilization, the people were ruled by Pharoahs, who were arguably the world's first dynastic rulers: important Pharoahs include Ahmose I, and Ramesses II.

The Ma'at (Pharoahn rules) ensured order and regularity amongst the people, hence ensuring good government.

In terms of the social structure of the communities within the two civilizations, both Mesopotamia and Egypt had Kings who ruled the land, with all the other people supplying goods for the ruler, by working the land, and by working as craftspeople, and other skilled workers. This meant that the social structure was fairly open, with the people supporting each other as necessary, in terms of surviving.

In terms of the economical development of the civilizations, in Mesopotamia, by 2000 BC, the economic structure of the communities was well defined, with agricultural land divided between the King (who got two thirds), and family groups (who got the remainder).

The revenue from the farming of this land allowed the King to develop other economic enterprises. The economic structure was therefore dynamic, in that there was free enterprise: these transactions are recorded on cunieform tablets.

In Egypt, trade was also well developed, and there was a free enterprise economic atmosphere, with goods being traded within different parts of the Kingdom.

In terms of the religious beliefs and practices of the two civilizations, the Egyptians very much equated religion with governance, such that religion was an every day part of life, with Gods coming in many manifestations, for example, animals, or humans, or natural forces, such as the sun or the wind. The Egyptians believed in the after life, constructing huge burial pyramids and tombs for their most treasured rulers, in which they placed all their worldly goods, and later mummifying the bodies, in the belief that the bodies would 'sail' towards the next life and would wake up there to begin their lives afresh.