Compare and Contrast Egypt and Mesopotamia

Throughout the history of the earth, man has evolved from nomadic hunters and gathers into the civilized people we are today. The first of these civilizations would be the Mesopotamians and the Egyptians. These civilizations had many similarities but they also brought upon some of their differences, and they are the two eras that helped mold the civilizations that were to come.

There are many aspects that are needed to define a "civilization". However, the most obvious foundation of all civilizations is their need of water sources. Both Mesopotamian and Egyptian civilizations existed on the banks of major rivers. Mesopotamia resided on the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers while Egypt resided on the Nile River. This plentiful supply of water in conjunction with fertile soil in both civilizations allowed them to produce enough food to support large communities. Rivers also offered a sure and generally easy form of transport and communication, allowing intervillage trade and encouraging central authorities to extend their powers over a much greater area. Given that water was the key to life, most communities were on or near the river. Having a central resource created community relationships and outward expansion ultimately ending in the formation of these two great civilizations.

Both Egypt and Mesopotamia emphasized social stratification, with a noble, landowning class on top and masses of peasants and slaves at the bottom. A powerful priestly group also figured in the elite. While specific achievements in science differed, there was a common emphasis on astronomy and related mathematics, which produced durable findings about units of time and measurement. Both Mesopotamia and Egypt changed only slowly by the standards of more modern societies. Details of change have not been preserved, but it is true that having developed successful political and economic systems there was a strong tendency toward conservation. Change, when it came, was usually brought by outside forces - natural disasters or invasions. Both civilizations demonstrated extraordinary durability in the basics. Egyptian civilization and a fundamental Mesopotamian culture lasted far longer than the civilizations that came later, in part because of relative isolation within each respective region and because of the deliberate effort to maintain what had been achieved, rather than experiment widely.