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Study Tip When you have the slides, create a T-Bar to create a list of the differences between Mespoptamia and Egypt. Write a description of the differences and take time to think about the similarities and differences. This will help you remember. Think about how these similarities and differences compare to the way we live today!
Mesopotamia and EgyptRemember that the Hebrews originated in Mesopotamia and lived the same experience Uncertainty of Life in Mesopotamia and Egypt means: • Borders more difficult to defend in Mesopotamia than Egypt • Infrastructure – transportation on rivers • seasonal rains and containment of waters • natural soil remediation (good and bad)
The Nile river's produced extremely fertile soil, making it easy for cities and civilizations to spring up alongside the banks of the Nile. Fertile soil were added to by the annual spring floods which overflowed the Nile River onto the banks. Much of the Egyptian nation consists of dry desert land. Throughout most of the year, very little rain falls on Egyptian deserts. This has remained true for thousands of years. People were drawn to life by the river. The abundant Nile River provided much needed irrigation, even in ancient times. This waterway also provided a source of drinking water, and source of irrigation for farming as well as papyrus reeds that could be used for a variety of purposes such as paper and building materials.
Wild Kingdom. Predators existed in early Egyptian times. We do not need to fear such things in Changchun, Toronto or even rural farming communities. Examples include: snakes, wild dogs, wild cats and the Nile Crocodile. Crocodiles are approximately 4 meters in length and make their nests along the banks of the Nile River, where the female may lay up to 60 eggs at one time. Some three months later the babies are born and are taken to the water by their mother. They will remain with her for at least two years before reaching maturity.
Is there a risk to living and working on the banks of the Nile when there are Crocodiles nesting all around you?
Insecurity of the Times (continued) Epic Tale of Gilgamesh – the finest work of Mesopotamian literature. Traits: pessimism, sadness and despair. The story: Gilgamesh hopes for eternal life but realizes that human life has an end – death is certain. Death was either confinement in the underworld, subjected to torture and pain or being turned into spirits and flying through the living world, tormenting humans that are still living. Contrast this to other religious beliefs which came to be, which we will look at later in this course. We may see a common theme. Some past and present religions believe in witches and vampires other evil spirits not so different from what Gilgamesh the Mesopotamian described.
Contrasting Mesopotamian after life with Egyptian Beliefs • Religious beliefs were the basis of art, medicine, astronomy, literature and government. • Belief in many Gods. Belief that Gods often times took the form of animals. • Gods were ascribed to Natural Elements (The Sun, Moon, Wind, Earth and Rivers). Confusing to humans?!
Kingship (Mesopotamia vs. Egypt) Mesopotamian Kings: appointed by the Gods, representative of God on earth, to manage the people. Egyptian Pharaohs: Believed to be both Human and Gods. Could make the rules of society as they chose. If you lived in Egypt during these times, you would hope for a kind Pharaoh.
Mesopotamia – The Code of Hammurabi The code rested on the authority of the Gods. To break the law of the Code = disobeying God. Elements of the Code Our beliefs and values developed from those that came before us. Think about the similarities and differences to China today, USA today, Syria and United Arab Emirates today.
Code of Hammurabi – “an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth”Do any of these laws exist in modern society? Death Penalty existed for the following: • Adultery • Kidnapping • theft from a home • aiding the escape of slaves • receiving stolen goods • bearing false witness (lying under oath) NOTE: being forgiven by the wronged party might bring leniency (Victim’s Impact Statement of modern times?) Ask yourself: Does the death penalty exist for any of these crimes, anywhere in the world today?
Women were subservient to men. Is that fair?! Execution for adultery – unless pardoned by the husband. Stricter penalty for committing a wrong against someone from a higher social class. Question. Might this practice lead to oppression of the lower classes? Think of Slavery in the early years of the USA and the plight of the black citizens through American History. Are there similar parallels in Asian History?
Hammurabi’s Code – Government and Business Government officials who engaged in extortion or bribery were harshly punished. Question: Setting aside your own opinion, can you think of two dominant societies in the world today that have different views on bribery? The Business Code The primary driver supporting civilization (definition of civilization) was trade and production. The code was complex in the area of business. To avoid fraud which can drive new ventures into failure, business transactions had to be recorded in writing. The Code made it more likely that business would be conducted honestly and that new relationships were more likely to be based on trust, resulting in more prosperity. Question: Do you see a parallel to anything that is happening in the New Chinese Economy?
Egypt – Trade and Commerce Between the years 2686 - 2181, Before the Common Era, centralized rule had been established, under one Pharaoh. Slaves were the work force. Question: Is there any reason to think of 3rd World labour in today’s economy as a form of slave labour? About 2181 – 2040, the Noble Class which had acquired great wealth became greedy and began to challenge the authority of Pharaoh. Question: Have you seen this at any other time in history, where a regime’s authority was challenged by an elite or even by an oppressed majority? Pharaoh was undermined. Rival families competed for the Throne. Financial resources were used to fight amongst each other. Infrastructure was not maintained. Irrigation and farming became less efficient. Trade routes became more dangerous. The state of affairs could be called a civil war of sorts.
To Divide and Conquer 2040 -1786 Before the Common Era, strong kings reasserted Pharaonic Rule and reunited the State. Confidence became strong again and culture and the economy were revived. 1786 -1570 Before the Common Era. Egypt was again weakened by divisive internal conflict. They were invaded and ruled by the Hyskos, a mixture of Semites and Indo Europeans, who ruled for approximately 100 years.
Features of Egyptian Civilization The features described were the cornerstone of Egyptian civilization, formed during the old and middle kingdoms. They had not deviated from their earliest beliefs of 3000 years earlier. They did not value change or significant progress. Rather than express our opinion, given that the society we live in today does embrace rapid change and progress, let us remember that Egyptian Civilization is an important part of where current Global Civilization came from.
Group Work • THINKING BEYOND THE FACTS Much of our information about ancient societies comes from burial sites. From pictures and descriptions of recent excavations in your text book, what can you conclude about each ruler and his milieu? What are the limitations of such finds, and where could the historian go wrong in drawing conclusions from them?
