COMPARING MESOPOTAMIA AND EGYPT

TRADE, INTERACTION, DIFFUSION

ENVIRONMENT & CULTURE● Both Mesopotamia and

Egypt were centered around River Valleys (Rivers sustain life).

● The natural irrigation of the Nile gave Egyptians an advantage

● The less predictable Euphrates and Tigris Rivers used man-made irrigation systems susceptible to flooding, breaches in dikes meant to protect cities, and soil erosion

● Egypt was more environmentally protected that Mesopotamia.

● Egyptians grew Flax and cotton to be spun into cloth, also, Wheat and barley

Environment & Culture (Cont.)● Mesopotamia suffered from a

lack of natural barriers to invasion, e.g., deserts and mountains.

● The natural occurrences of drought and eventually, a far less fruitful agricultural system, cast a sad shadow on people’s lives.

● The Epic of Gilgamesh sheds light on this: “When the gods created man, they allotted to him death, but life they retained in their own keeping.”

● In general, Mesopotamians had a more cynical outlook on life than Egyptians.

● The descendents of Sumer, in southern Mesopotamia, eventually moved farther north after years of ecological degradation and conquest (being defeated.)

The epic of gilgamesh● The oldest story of the

world's first “superhero”● Sumerians first wrote down

stories about Gilgamesh around 2000 BCE.

● We have only fragments of the stories,carved onto slabs of stone,some have not been found, some destroyed.

● In the Epi , there are imilarities to the Bible, flooding of the earth, animals aboard a great arc, and the search for eternal life.

● It offers a glimpse into the lives of the Mesopotamian people, including their innate sense of sorrow and worldview.

Environment and Culture , (Cont.)

● The Egyptians had a far more optimistic outlook on life, their literature more joyful than that of the Mesopotamian variety.

● The sun was “reborn” each day, the abundance of food (sustainable agriculture system) signified a triumph of life over death.

● The Egyptian civilization flourished for thousands of years, outlasting others.

● The Tree of Life (top left).

● They enjoyed a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables (even the poorest Egyptians)

Cities and statesMesopotamia

● Sumer = 12 city states● Most urbanized of the 1st Civs● Frequent conflict was the cause

of this (people sought refuge within city walls)

● Frequent conflicts left it vulnerable to outside forces after 2350 BCE

● Enter Babylonian phase (1900-1500 BCE)

● Akkadians and Babylonians = larger empires encompassing most of Mesopotamia (centralized, unified)

Egypt

● 3000 year empire● Theocracy (ruled by religious figure)● Ability to sail on the Nile =

communication, exchange, unity, and independence

● Mostly lived in small, agricultural communities (geographical security)

● Circa 2400 BCE, Leadership changed - after a series of negative changes in weather, Nile flooded improperly the Pharaoh was no longer considered a god on earth.

● Nobles (rich and powerful) were now gaining land and more influence

● Now pharaohs were thought to be subject to the same judgement in the afterlife.

● Osiris, god of the dead now a prominent religious figure, now even the common man could seek immortality in the afterlife.

● Mummification.

INteraction and exchange● Archaeological evidence and

ancient texts show that Mesopotamians and Egyptians traded with people from very far away. * See quote to the right.

● Egypt traded with people in the Mediterranean the Middle East, and deep into the African continent.

● Cultural diffusion

Primary Sources

1. In those days the dwellings of Agade were filled with gold, its bright-shining houses were filled with silver, into its granaries were brought copper, tin, slabs of lazuli (a blue gemstone), its silos bulged at the sides...its quay where the boats docked were all abustle.” (Mesopotamian poet).

2. “I came down with three hundred donkeys laden with incense, ebony,....panther skins, elephant tusks, throw sticks, and all sorts of good products,” (an Egyptian official).

3. “An eye for an eye” was a Mesopotamian idea of justice that later ended up in the Old Testament of the Bible. Also, the goddess Istar was shared, and the Sumerian cuneiform writing later became the foundation for Greek writing.

INteraction and exchange, cont.● Skilled Nubian archers fought

as mercenaries for the Egyptians. They intermarried with Egyptian women and were buried in the Egyptian style. (This is not to say Nubians surrendered to Egyptian society, they later invaded them in 760 and reigned for 100 years.)

● They were pastoral peoples, using horses and chariots.. They revolutionized warfare all over the region (diffusion.)

● Metallurgy (metal work) spread east to China by around 1200 BCE.

Interaction and Exchange Cont.● Circa 1650 BCE; an increase in human

migration shook the security Egyptians had enjoyed for millennia.

● Egyptians “modernized”, adopting many technological innovations born in the middle east to help protect its territory. E.g., the chariot, new kinds of armor, bows, daggers, and swords.

● Egypt used this technology to lay conquest, conquering the eastern Mediterranean regions of Syria and Palestine = very large empire.

● Now a part of an international political system including Babylon, later the Assyrians, and others. Called each other “brother”, intermarried.