Comparative Essay Example: Ancient Mesopotamia and Ancient Egypt

Millions of tourists travel to modern- day Iraq, Syria, Turkey, and Egypt to visit the ruins left behind from the ancient Mesopotamians and the ancient Egyptians. Ancient Mesopotamia and ancient Egypt are two of the most famous and oldest civilizations in the world. Lasting between 3500 BC to 500 BC, ancient Mesopotamia is known to be the first civilization in the world while ancient Egypt, lasting between 3150 BC to 30 BC, is known for the construction of the pyramids. Even though both of these civilizations are a major part of history, there are many similarities and differences between their governments, belief systems, social classes, inventions, and environment. 

The ancient Mesopotamians and the ancient Egyptians had much in common. On similarity is that both civilizations were located near a river. Ancient Egypt was located “along the Nile River” while ancient Mesopotamia was located “between the Tigris and Euphretes rivers” (A timeline of Ancient Egypt, n.d.). Rivers were important to the ancient civilizations as they provided a steady supply of water, food, and fertile soil for crops. Furthermore, the ancient Mesopotamians and the ancient Egyptians both had a writing system to keep track of time, records, stories, prayers, and documents. In Mesopotamia, people wrote on clay tablets “in a cuneiform script” and in ancient Egypt, they wrote on papyrus paper in “cursive hieroglyphs” (World History, 2020).  Religion was also important to both cultures. The ancient Mesopotamians and the ancient Egyptians were polytheistic, meaning they worshipped multiple Gods. To show their respect and honor to the Gods, the Mesopotamians and the Egyptians built massive structures. In addition, ancient Egypt and ancient Mesopotamia had a similar social structure as a person’s social status depended on their occupation. For instance, Egyptian leaders, called pharaohs, were believed to be gods in human form and had absolute power over their subjects (World History, 2020). Egyptian pharaohs and Mesopotamian kings were at the top of the social class and influenced their subjects. In contrast, peasants and slaves in both cultures were at the bottom of the social class. Despite being located in different areas, ancient Mesopotamia and ancient Egypt were alike in many ways.

Even though there are many similarities between ancient Egypt and ancient Mesopotamia, there were also vast differences between the two cultures. Ancient Egypt had a central government and “was a theocratic monarchy as the king ruled by a mandate from the gods” (Mark, 2016). In contrast to ancient Egypt, ancient Mesopotamia was composed of multiple city-states which were almost always at war with each other. Each city-state also had its own ruler, set of laws, and its own god. Moreover, both cultures had different religious beliefs and carried out different religious traditions to show respect to the Gods they worshipped. The Egyptians believed in an afterlife and a second self-called the ka. “When the physical body expired, the ka enjoyed eternal life. Those fortunate enough to pass the test of Osiris wanted to be comfortable in their lives beyond earth” (World History, 2020). Since the pharaohs were considered as Gods to the Egyptians, they built pyramids loaded with gold, silver, and bronze artifacts and adorned with fine linens and artwork as tombs for the pharaohs. One of the most famous pyramids in the world is the Great Pyramid of Giza which served as the tomb of the fourth-century pharaoh Cheops and is the only wonders of the seven ancient wonders that still exists today. The ancient Mesopotamians built ziggurats to honor the main God of their city-state. “Ziggurats were pyramid shaped buildings with a square base and steps leading up to several levels” (A timeline of Ancient Egypt, n.d.). Ziggurats were supposed to connect heaven and earth. The higher the temple, the closer to heaven. The Mesopotamians used the ziggurats for religious rituals, ceremonies, sacrifices, and to make offerings to the Gods. The differences between the ancient Mesopotamians and the ancient Egyptians are countless. 

In conclusion, numerous similarities and differences between ancient Mesopotamia and ancient Egypt. Without these two famous ancient civilizations, life would look very different today. The history of the ancient Egyptians and the ancient Mesopotamians was the starter for government, religion, writing, inventions, and social classes.