Mesopotamian Vs Egyptian

Mesopotamian and Egyptian societies emerged at approximately about the same time. The life around the Tigris and Euphrates rivers differed from the life around the Nile River. The Mesopotamian civilized near the Tigris and Euphrates rivers because of its desert area with temperatures reaching 100 degrees. Not only did they Mesopotamian settle next to a river, but Egypt as well settled by a river. Although civilization in Egypt corresponded with Mesopotamia, it developed along very different lines. The Nile River was of central importance to Egyptian civilization. By living close a river, this was able to shape the development of society in the regions. Even though both the Mesopotamian and the Egyptians settled near a river, they had different ways of controlling and ruling their society.

Civilization of Mesopotamia started to form around the location in the Tigris and Euphrates river valleys. The reason why they picked this location was because of the ability of food to grow in an area with temperatures almost reaching 100 degrees. Although the area received very little rain, the soil was constantly enriched by the overflows of the two rivers. Also they had to create irrigation systems in order to get water from the river to their crops. With the river near by they were able to create a city of there own. They had their own religious beliefs that “the gods” owned the cities and the temples that were made were dedicated to the chief god or goddess of the city. Other then the gods having power, the priests and priestesses had great power as well. The priest did not only perform religious functions but also political and economic ones. Since they believed that the gods owned the city, the government was based on theocracy. With their belief in the god and the development of the government, agriculture started to grow and social groups started to form.

Unlike settling down by the Tigris and Euphrates River, the Egyptians established a civilization near the Nile River. The annul flooding of the Nile River created miles of fertile land for crops to grow. The Nile River valley was protected by natural barriers, so basically this was a sense of isolation and security. This river helped the Egyptians unify their factors way faster then they ever thought. Instead of believing there was a god who ruled the city, they had an Egyptian pharaoh who was viewed as a god and an absolute ruler of Egypt. Pharaohs were divine leader that are suppose to maintain order and harmony, just like a president. They did not have to do things by themselves; they had a well-developed bureaucracy to help