How is the geography of the Mayan civilization different from the geography of the Mesopotamian civilization?
Mesopotamians were not able to grow a variety of crops on their land.
The Maya were not able to grow a variety of crops on their land.
The Mesopotamian civilization was not built around a major river.
The Mayan civilization was not built around a major river.
Answers
Answer:
The name Mesopotamia was given to the Middle Eastern civilisation that existed between the Euphrates and Tigris Rivers. The source of these rivers lies in modern Turkey and they cross Syria before ending in Iraq, where they unite. Mesopotamia is Greek for ‘a land between two rivers’. The Middle East is mostly dry and sandy. However, Mesopotamia is different because the two rivers kept the land fertile through regular flooding of the area. Like the Nile River in Egypt, the Euphrates and Tigris Rivers allowed the Mesopotamians to grow crops and to settle between these two rivers.
By the 7th century BC small farming settlements of people were established. Later on in southern Mesopotamia, people began to develop irrigation agriculture instead of just relying on the flooding of the two rivers. This led to the first of Mesopotamian towns called Eridu and Uruk. The economy of these two cities depended on improving irrigation methods, to grow enough food to keep up with the demand of the people in Mesopotamia.
Belief system
Water was very important for the survival of these communities. The Mesopotamian people therefore had a great respect for the rivers that supported them. They believed in a God of water that controlled the rivers. They accepted the idea that the Gods created people to work for them. The role of people was to cultivate the land and give some of its fruit to their Gods as a sacrifice. The gods were represented on earth by the king and his nobles. It was the king who received all the sacrifices on behalf of the Gods. As the people believed that it was their responsibility to clothe and house their Gods, they built large temples for them, as well as palaces for their representatives, the kings.
One of the Gods worshipped in the city of Eridu was called the House of Water, or Enki. He became a major God for the people of Mesopotamia because he was linked with creation and keeping the soil fertile. He was also important for the development of astrology when people were beginning to observe that the rivers flooded at the same time as the appearance of particular patterns of stars in the night sky. They used this knowledge to plan crop planting. The people also worshipped Enki as a god of knowledge.