Write an essay comparing and contrasting the early civilizations that developed in Mesopotamia, Egypt, the Indus Valley, and China.
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Egypt developed around the Nile River, while Mesopotamia developed between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. Egypt and Mesopotamia grew into complex civilizations. Politically, both Egypt and Mesopotamia had a government with one main ruler, but Egypt had a centralized government with a pharaoh, while Mesopotamia had a decentralized government with a king. Socially, both civilizations were patriarchal, but Egypt was more lenient towards women while Mesopotamia was stricter. The political and social structures of Egypt and Mesopotamia both similarities and differences. Politically, although both Egypt and Mesopotamia had one main ruler, Egypt was centralized and whereas Mesopotamia was decentralized. Egypt centralized government led…show more content…
However, in Mesopotamia, the males subjugated the women. To stop married women from tempting other men, they were forced to cover their bodies, except for their faces, with veils. Women in Mesopotamia were often arranged into marriages, without a say on the subject. The Mesopotamian women had little impact on their society, while certain Egyptian women were able to gain highly influential positions in their society. One Egyptian woman even became the Queen of Egypt, alongside her son. Due to Egypt being less strict towards the women, Egyptian women were able to have a greater influence on their society. Although both civilizations were patriarchal, they varied on how strict they were towards women. Ancient civilizations surrounding Egypt and Mesopotamia during this time period had similar political and social structures to either of the civilizations. Most societies with a centralized government did not see their rulers as divine as pharaohs. Some civilizations, like the Chinese rulers and their Mandate of Heaven, ruled with a power similar to the Egyptian pharaohs. However, the Chinese empire could also be overthrown if they were a bad ruler. The Greek city-states also constantly fought each to gain power over all of Greece.
Clearly all early civilizations must share some common characteristics, since they are all classified as part of the same, new catagory of "civilization." So, what do historians mean by civilization? Let's start by making it clear that "civilization" doesn't mean "nice" or "good." Most basically, the term began by referring to the ways of people in cities, which were significantly different than those of people living even in more advanced farming towns. Of course this statement sparks the natural question: in what way different? The classic answer is a list of characteristics usually true of civilizations, although several important civilizations have managed to flourish without one or more of them. Keep it in mind as a behind-the-scenes organizing list of characteristics to think about for each civilization, noticing both similarities and differences.