Humanity’s most ancient civilizations did not develop chaotically but were closely connected with natural conditions favorable for trade, agriculture, and handicrafts. The Sumerian and Egyptian civilizations are among the most ancient and grew close to each other. These two civilizations have similarities in critical development points, but each has a distinct culture, religion, and approach to the state structure.
The Sumerians are an ancient civilization that developed in Mesopotamia, a region between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. Many researchers agree that the Sumerian civilization is the first civilization in the history of humanity, and its development lasted more than 2000 years (History.com Editors, 2017). They are associated with the emergence of the first cities and writing.
Ancient Egyptian civilization – one of the oldest civilizations in the world, existed in northeast Africa, mainly developed in the Nile River valley. Ancient Egypt’s history is rich in events and periods and counts about 40 centuries. The cultural heritage of this civilization is enormous, but the achievements of the ancient Egyptians in science, medicine, and literature are also significant.
These two great civilizations have several standard features. The most important similarity, which also explains the prosperity of the Sumerians and Egyptians, is the territory and environment. These civilizations appeared and developed in a warm climate on fertile soils. Soil fertility was ensured by the rivers that flowed in these regions and which had great domestic and sacred significance for these two cultures. However, Egyptian agriculture was very dependent on the floods of the Nile, as the climate was generally drier (History.com Editors, 2009). Agriculture and trade underpinned the prosperity of both civilizations. Also, the presence of water transport systems and active exchange contributed to the development of handicrafts in both regions. The tools of the Egyptians and the Sumerians were also quite similar, as they served the same purposes – cultivating the land and handicrafts.
Their eating habits also had standard features – they consumed a lot of vegetables, dairy products, and meat from farm animals (Egyptian Civilization – Daily Life – Food, n.d.). A developed culture of beer consumption also united Egyptians and Sumerians, but Egyptians also drank vine.
Some similarities can be traced to the beliefs of the ancient Egyptians and the Sumerians. In the fundamental religious beliefs of both peoples, the deification of the celestial ocean Ana (Nu) plays the same role, from which the origin of the deities of air and earth, the sun, and the moon was derived (History.com Editors, 2009). However, the Sumerians revered the sun, moon, and stars more than the Egyptians. Moreover, there were some minor differences in the belief system. For example, the concept of the Underworld was essential for the Egyptians but is practically not traced in the Sumerian cults.
The differences between the Sumerian and Egyptian civilizations mainly relate to the state and social structure. Ancient Mesopotamia was a cluster of independent city-states, which at the same time, often fought among themselves (History.com Editors, 2017). Ancient Egypt was also polycentric at first, but the country united under the rule of one ruler over time (History.com Editors, 2009). Egypt spent its entire centuries-old history as an integral state, although its borders and capitals constantly changed.
Another difference is the approach to writing, which both civilizations developed at a very high level. However, the methods were different. The Sumerians used cuneiform writing – they squeezed out the text as dashes on clay tablets with a special stylus. Cuneiform writing appeared due to active trade (History.com Editors, 2017). The Egyptians used pictorial paper with phonetic marks – hieroglyphs. They wrote mainly on papyrus, but they could also use tablets.
When analyzing the similarities and differences between the Egyptian and Sumerian civilizations, certain conclusions can be drawn about what was vital for the development of ancient civilizations. First, their similarity indicates the critical role of climate and conditions for the production and distribution of food in the emergence of statehood. However, each nation went through its way of forming a culture, searching for the best way to manage, and interact with each other through speech and writing.
References
Egyptian civilization – Daily life – Food. (n.d.). Web.
History.com Editors. (2009). Ancient Egypt. History.com. Web.
History.com Editors. (2017). Sumer. History.com. Web.