Mesopotamian Civilization Analysis

Improved Essays
The civilization Mesopotamia lies between lies between the two rivers, Tigris and Euphrates, of West Asia. The weather there is sometimes hot and dusty, like a desert, but other times, there would massive floods taking over the area. Organizations such as the Sumerians, Babylonians, Assyrians, and Chaldeans, had ways of living to control the environment they were in. The Sumerians, out of all groups, were the most successful. Of 10,000 to 50,000 inhabitants, they built various city-states. They also showed development and improvement in agriculture, engineering, and technology than the farming villages of the neolithic era. Another achievement of the Sumerians was writing. A lot of clay tablets inscribed in cuneiform, wedge shaped, were found …show more content…
A pharaoh is like a god or a king, a ruler in ancient Egypt. June to October is the annual flood stage of the Egyptian civilization. The pharaoh job is to hire a large amount of skilled labor force to build monuments or flood control installations. He would hire masons and stonecutters, sculptors, carpenters, and painters. He would also hire construction managers, surveyors, draftmens, scribes, and other to do the job. The pharaoh also had a religious and civic duty. Just like the Sumer, Egyptian religion was a "thoroughgoing polytheism", which means belief in many gods. Another thing I found interesting was when it talked about the development of the pyramids, The largest pyramid of the Great Pyramids is that of Khufu, built at Giza. The pyramid dates from about 2600 B.C.E, it was 460 feet high and 755 feet on each side. This pyramid was made from about 2.3 million stone blocks averaging 2.5 ton each. That 's one big …show more content…
Darius I became King in 522, and reigned the longest. He enlarged the empire to the Indus River in the east, the Caucasus Mountains in the north, and Upper Egypt in the south. In the west, he seized a foothold in Europe. Darius most significant contribution was royal inscriptions, which was written in three different languages: Persian, Elamitic, and Babylonian. Persia produced little literature, except for the Avesta, the collected sacred scriptures of Zoroastrianism. They showed originality in religion. Iranian religion, Indo-European polytheism, whose chief officials were magi, is what the Persians went by. But, later on, a reformer named Zoroaster changed the religion to Zoroastrianism. It taught men and women were expected to avoid sin and abide by divine laws. The Persian Empire matched its West Asian

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    The Many Empires of Mesopotamia Through constant war, Mesopotamia was crudely shaped through cookie-cutter fashion of each empire’s peak, earning her the rightful place as a cradle of civilization. Her cultures changed with every dawning era, and her views grew more perceptive until a final, ethical Zoroastrianism. Whether Sumerian, Babylonian, Chaldean, or Persian, Mesopotamia cradled each, defining the meaning of civilization through life and the gods. Ultimately, introducing the basic way of life for Mesopotamia begins with the first of the people to settle in the area—the Sumerians.…

    • 842 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Mesopotamia Dbq Analysis

    • 513 Words
    • 3 Pages

    How was Mesopotamia able to use all of its cultures to create one civilization? Mesopotamia was located between rivers Tigris and Euphrates as the name states. It was more precisely located in modern-day Iraq. This civilization is also credited for the invention of the wheel and sophisticated weaponry and warfare. Despite all of these characteristics a few stick out.…

    • 513 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In Chapter 1, the cultures and societies discussed include Mesopotamian civilization, Egyptian civilization, the Hittite empire, and the Persian Empire. Major influences from these civilizations and empires have contributed to Western Civilization. Mesopotamian civilization developed between the Tigris and the Euphrates rivers and evolved to three definite societies: Sumer (2000s B.C), Babylonia (1000s B.C.), and Assyria (after 700s B.C.). The first known cities were founded by the Sumerians using architecture of mud and brick.…

    • 841 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Throughout Global history, there have been many river valleys which play a big role on early civilization and make the important contribution to the world. Three civilization of these is Mesopotamia, India, and China. Mesopotamia is the land that located between Tigris and Euphrates river. This can be considered as the reason why Mesopotamia called Mesopotamia. In Greek, it technically means between two rivers, and obviously this is exactly what was happening.…

    • 684 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    There were many pharaohs of Egypt including, Tut, Zozer, and Khufu, but there are some that need to be recognized. The first one is a pharaoh named Menes who brang Egypt together, then there was Hatshepsut who expanded borders and sent out explorers to trade with others, and finally there was Akhenaten who changed art and religion in egypt and may have started monotheism. If we didn’t have these pharaohs the world would be a much different place now because Egypt might not have been what it is today. We learn about many pharaohs in history in school, but these pharaohs were the most important. These Kings and Queen were staples of Egypt’s economy then and now.…

    • 964 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Mesopotamia Dbq

    • 828 Words
    • 4 Pages

    In Saudi Arabia during the classical period Mesopotamia was taken over by the Persians around 500BC (7, 1). The first leader of Persia was Cyrus. He allowed the people he conquered, to keep their religions and cultures. Cyrus was succeeded by his son Cambyses. After Cambyses Darius became the leader.…

    • 828 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Unlike Sumerian Cuneiform writing, hieroglyphics represented ideas or objects but could also stand for sounds. ”(Document 4). Sumerian Cuneiform writing could not stand for sounds, so there was a completely different language for speaking. This obviously complicated social activities and projects throughout the city-states, as one would have to learn and remember two different languages to communicate.…

    • 1122 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Mesopotamia “Land of rivers” is the name of the Euphrates- Tigris river system. The Mesopotamian religion was the first recorded religion. Their religion was Polytheistic and Enlil, the god of air, was believed to be the most powerful god. For religious worship, Mesopotamians sang and danced in their homes and market places to songs originally written for the gods. A cultural expression and social activity ancient Mesopotamians participated in was monthly rituals and festivals where they relied on the moon to determine the theme for the month.…

    • 414 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    Mesopotamia was often faced with unpredictable floods and droughts, and this often affected their harvest and livelihoods. Consequently, the Mesopotamian’s main religious concern within the earliest times was the influence of nature and the desire to appease the gods who controlled it. Egypt fell along the Nile and provided Egyptians’ with water, food, transport and trade. Unlike Mesopotamia, the floods were able to be predicted and most of the time they were controllable. Egypt had a religious structure that revealed a more optimistic view of life than that in Mesopotamia.…

    • 1543 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Mesopotamia DBQ

    • 694 Words
    • 3 Pages

    (Document 1-5) Mesopotamia had a good source of water that came from the Euphrates and Tigris rivers. (Document 1-5) They used this water to irrigate their farm lands and also as a source of drinking water. These are some of the reasons why mesopotamia's geography shaped the people who lived there lives.…

    • 694 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Mesopotamia Dbq Analysis

    • 1220 Words
    • 5 Pages

    That givest drink to the desert places which are far from water.’” This statements shows us that the farmers are glad that they can work hard, because when the Nile is not overflowing, they can no longer work. The document follows the farmers, as they talk about what they need. The Egyptians also believe that their Pharaoh is a god, document 5 calling Pharaoh’s god-kings, and document 3, “a Pharaoh is a god”, so they could also believe that he controls the seas, and they rejoice and praise that their Pharaoh has raised the Nile when they needed it. The Nile supports their entire city, so…

    • 1220 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    While Egypt’s government was under control of one, pharaoh, Mesopotamian’s government was divided among several city – states. Elite culture in Egypt, developing in a more stable, predictable and beneficial environment, produce a rather more cheerful and hopeful outlook on the world. (Strayer 2011, 80) The Mesopotamian outlook on life was unpredictable and often violent environment. The Mesopotamian believed that their deities were cruel, punishing them with droughts and floods.…

    • 803 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Pharaoh Khufu Influence

    • 224 Words
    • 1 Pages

    Pharaoh Khufu ruled ancient Egypt from 2551-2528 B.C.E during the Old Kingdom. Some people described Pharaoh Khufu as kind and powerful, but others think that he is cruel and harsh, depending on how well you know Khufu. Pharaoh Khufu helped establish the pharaoh as a central authority in 3 ways, having control over food supply by overseeing the harvest and a storage of extra grain. He also helped by controlling networks of government who carried out his laws. Then the Pharaoh emphasizing supreme power by declaring himself god.…

    • 224 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Superior Essays

    When we think of Mesopotamia or Egypt we can automatically assume that these two civilizations were of prominence to today’s society. Mesopotamia and Egypt were two very different civilizations with very different values, beliefs, norms and even Religions. Yet both artistic styles and interests were somewhat similar and composed of common materials and resources used to make certain sculptures and paintings. Both civilizations contributed greatly to our art advancements and made it possible for us to better advance over the years with the use of their techniques and style. Mesopotamia is considered to be one of the first human civilizations.…

    • 1286 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The Sumerians turned to trade in order for their civilization to thrive. The Sumerian people discovered that copper and tin together made bronze. This discovery made trade efficient because they could produce tools and weapons that were then sold to other nations. Not only were goods transported in the trade network but stories, writings, and art were also spread. Egypt was developing around the same time as Sumer in Mesopotamia around a river as well.…

    • 1079 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays