Compare Ancient Egypt And Mesopotamian Architecture

Ancient Egypt and ancient Mesopotamia were two of the world’s earliest city-based civilizations. They were strong forces to contend with, and each built thriving empires that lasted for thousands of years. Even though they may have faced difficult or destructive times, they had lasting and influential effects on the rest of history world. They both formed the foundation for Middle Eastern and Western history, and established examples for other future river valley civilizations. However, despite these comparisons, ancient Egypt stands out in contrast to ancient Mesopotamia in regards to its architecture. Egyptian architecture reigns superior to Mesopotamian architecture because of the extensive amount of structures, the intricate and highly …show more content…
The Nile was regular and benign, as it flooded at the same, precise time, leaving behind nutrient-rich soil for planting. This made for one of the safest and richest agricultural areas in the world, and the Egyptians were able to easily irrigate their crops through a process known as basin irrigation. Since the Nile provided so much food and resources in a convenient and easy way, the ancient Egyptians had more time for other impressive projects, such the construction of tombs and statues like the sphinx. The spectacular and large amount of varying architectural structures in Egypt displays their supremacy over Mesopotamia in the field of architecture. Ancient Egyptian architecture consists of a vast and differing amount of structures, such as obelisks, mastabas, and, most awe-inspiring, pyramids. Mastabas were constructed during the Old Kingdom, and can be seen as the stepping-stone before the larger, concise pyramids were formed. They were constructed with stone or bricks made of mud from the Nile, and had a distinct “bench-like” look with sloping sides and stacked levels. Royals and high-ranking officials were buried in these until the more developed pyramids were created during the Fourth Dynasty. The largest of these structures, the Great Pyramid, is believed to have been constructed for …show more content…
For example, The Great Pyramid was the world’s tallest building for over 3800 years until the Lincoln Cathedral was built in 1300. The pyramid stood at an original height of 481 ft, and with its original polished limestone outer layer, could be seen from the moon. In addition, architectural structures display a remarkable and impressive understanding of such advanced subjects as mathematics and astrology. Since they relied on the Nile and it’s patterns, Ancient Egyptians were very knowledgeable about the system within the stars. Many of their magnificent structures showcase a complex understanding of the world around them. For example, the Great Pyramid is composed of a structure that is sited to true North, with more precision than the Greenwich Observatory in England and the Paris Observatory in France. As well, each side of the pyramid is indicative of true North, South, West, and East. To continue, in 1865, Piazzi Smythe measured the circumference of the Great Pyramid, which turned out to be 36524.2 inches. The average length of a year, and the time it takes the earth to orbit the sun, is 365.24 days. This shows that the people who built the pyramid most likely had some understanding of the shape of the earth, its orbit, and how to construct the pyramid so that its north-south axis would aligned to within three-sixtieths of a degree of true north-south. As well,