Ancient Egypt and Ancient Mesopotamia: A Compare and Contrast Essay

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Ancient Egypt and Ancient Mesopotamia: A Compare and Contrast Essay

Ancient Egypt, known as “The Gift of the Nile,” and ancient Mesopotamia, known as the land “Between the Rivers,” were the first two civilizations developed by mankind. Not only this is a double-negative that you do not need.] These were they the first civilizations to form, andbut they were also the first river-valley civilizations using the nearby river(s) [redundant – if they are the first river valley civilizations, then aren’t they near a river?] for their benefit. Ancient Egypt was birthed around 3100 B.C., and was based in the northern part of Africa. Ancient Mesopotamia came …show more content…

[the description of the ziggurat should be up above where you first mentioned it. What made these temples special were the bases in which they placed them upon, named ziggurats. A ziggurat is defined by the Merriam-Webster Dictionary as [typeface change -- “an ancient Mesopotamian temple tower consisting of a lofty pyramidal structure built in successive stages with outside staircases and a shrine at the top.” [Don’t use the dictionary as a reference. See the instructor policies guide. When you find another source for the ziggurat definition, you need a citation and a reference for it.] The Egyptians built something similar, though on a much grander scale. The pyramids were built for their god-kings as their final resting place, or a tomb as referred to today. They were on a larger, grander, and more expensive scale than the monuments built by the Sumerians. The Sumerians didn’t have access to a lot of wood or stone, so they used mud bricks instead. The Egyptians, however, built with granite and limestone bricks found in quarries surrounding Egypt. It seems that both ancient Egypt and ancient Mesopotamia were indeed comparable in regards to their economies, religions, governments, and geographies, although their cultures were diverse in each of these aspects. Both civilizations were oriented in a river valley, which provided food and water. However, the Nile was predictable and stable, whereas the Euphrates and the Tigris were unpredictable and