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QUESTION
- Describe each of the following characteristics of the four early civilizations of Mesopotamia, Egypt, India, and China, using the attached “Early Civilizations Table” or similar document:
key geographical features
2. religious beliefs
3. political structures
4. social and/or cultural characteristicsNote: You may include a short paragraph in each cell or a thorough bulleted list with significant key terms. Please be sure to include appropriate source references for the information in your chart.
B. Write a brief essay (suggested length of 2–3 paragraphs) in which you compare similarities and differences of two civilizations from part A using one characteristic described in the attached “Early Civilizations Table” or similar document.
C. Provide acknowledgement of source information, using in-text citations and references, for quoted, paraphrased, or summarized content.
1. Include the following information when providing source references:
• author
• date
• title
• location of information (e.g., publisher, journal, or website URL
- Describe each of the following characteristics of the four early civilizations of Mesopotamia, Egypt, India, and China, using the attached “Early Civilizations Table” or similar document:
Subject | Essay Writing | Pages | 8 | Style | APA |
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Answer
World History
Characteristics of early civilians of different regions
Table 1: Characteristics of early civilizations of Mesopotamia
|
Early Mesopotamian Civilizations |
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Sumerian |
Assyrian |
Akkadian |
Babylonian |
|
Key geographical features |
Formed in the southern Mesopotamia Formed along the banks of rivers Euphrates and Tigris (Modern-day Kuwait and Iraq, respectfully). Traded between the Persian Gulf and Northern India |
Formed around the ancient city of Ashur ion the northern Mesopotamia, between Egypt, Persia (Today’s Iran) and Cyprus. |
Formed around the Akkad city state, hence the name. Used Semitic languages that are related to Arabic and Hebrew |
Formed around the Babylon city in central Mesopotamia |
Religious beliefs |
Sumerians were polytheists who worshiped multiple gods in anthropomorphic forms in temples. |
Were polytheists that worshiped different gods |
Increased use of Semitic language that originated from biblical Shem, the son of Noah and a Biblical character associates the Akkadian with Christianity. |
Believed in gods rather that Christianity and other religions that emphasize forgiveness. |
Political structures |
Ruled under the Ur code developed by King Ur-Nammu between 2100 and 2050 BCE. |
Ruled by descendants of Sargon and the Assyrian Empire |
Sargon of Akkad established the Akkad empire that ruled between 2334 BCE and 2154 BCE (Maisels, 2003). |
Ruled by Hammurabi between 1792 and 1750 BCE under centralized bureaucracy |
Socio-cultural characteristics |
Developed wedge-shaped scripts (cuneiform) engraved on clay tablets. Renowned for inventing the wheel |
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Developed cuneiform pressed into clay tablets Traded in semi-precious stones, textiles and pearls |
Laws were written on clay tablets and stone slaps. Ascribed to the “an eye for an eye” social rule |
Table 2: Characteristics of early civilizations of Egypt
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Early Egyptian Civilizations |
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Predynastic Period |
Archaic era (3100-2686 BC) |
Age of Pyramid Builders |
12th Dynasty |
|
Key geographical features |
Formed in the river Nile Delta in the northern Africa near Mediterranean Region from c. 5000 to 3100 B.C. |
Formed close to the apex of River Nile Delta |
Established in Memphis, Saqqara, Cairo and Giza where pyramids were built as funerary monuments for kings |
Formed in the south of Memphis |
Religious beliefs |
Worshiped gods and goddesses Had a reverence for the dead and believed in the possibility of life after death. |
Believed in multiple gods such as the Horus believed to be all powerful |
Worshiped multiple gods |
Worshiped at Thebes as the major religious center |
Political structures |
Comprised of Northern and southern kingdoms. The southern kingdom was ruled by King Scorpion until 3200 B.C. when the kingdoms united under king Menes who started the dynasty leadership (History.com, 2020). |
Kings including king Menes established strong empires and were treated like gods |
Ruled under pharaoh dynasty who held stable governments |
Ruled by kings Amenemhet I to Amenemhet IV under dynasty leadership |
Socio-cultural characteristics |
Had a higher reverence for the dead Exchanges hunted animals for agricultural produce |
Lived in villages where they practiced farming. |
Constructed pyramids from stone materials as funerary structures for prominent people. |
Continued the tradition of pyramid building Traded in gold and ivory |
Table 3: Characteristics of early civilizations of India
Religious beliefs |
Prayed to gods and goddesses in temples with the assistance of priests |
Perfumed rituals and recited religious chants in temples |
Practiced meditation to attain the right mindfulness and borrowed some principles from Hinduism, while rejecting the aspect of multiple gods |
Practiced meditation and other mindfulness practices related to Buddhism |
Political structures |
Rulers turned to religion for divine assistance in their authority |
Smalls states were formed and led by rajas in fighting other Aryan groups |
Siddhartha Gautama founded the practice of Buddhism and led his followers in convincing Indians to embrace it |
Ruled by king Chandragupta Maurya who divided the state into provinces and appointed governors to rule them, then by King Asoka, his grandson |
Socio-cultural characteristics |
Made carvings of priest-kings and other popular people. Exchanged agricultural produce with precious stones and minerals imported through the Persian city |
Introduced the use of iron plow in India. Developed the Sanskrit as a writing system in 1000 B.C. |
Performed traditional dances in harvest festivals |
Performed traditional dances in harvest festivals |
Table 4: Characteristics of early civilizations of China
|
Early Indian Civilizations |
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The Shang Dynasty |
The Zhou Dynasty |
Confucianism |
|
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Key geographical features |
Formed at Shang and Anyang in North Central China |
Replaced the Shang dynasty in Anyang in North-Central China |
Developed in North central China towards the fall of Zhou dynasty |
|
Religious beliefs |
Believed in gods and supernatural forces and communicated with them through oracle bones |
Used the “Mandate of Heaven” to keep the gods pleased, with the help of the King Worshipped ancestors in the “Temple of Heaven” |
Emphasized the ideas of duty and humanity by urging people to subordinate their personal interests to the needs of their families and community in general instead of looking to divine interventions. |
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Political structures |
Ruled by kings who ascribed to aristocracy |
Continued the Shang practice of aristocracy and subdividing of the kingdom into territories aristocracy |
Approached leadership from an ethical and philosophical approach, rather than spiritual |
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Socio-cultural characteristics |
Believed in life after death and thus buried kings with their servants Practice veneration of ancestors Renowned for excellent craftsmanship and casting of bronze objects such as the “guang” |
Regarded the king as a mediator of heaven and earth Carved various sculptures such as the Hsiung-nu |
Focused on fulfilling needs and distinguishing good from evil or right and wrong in order to improve social coexistence. |
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Part B: The Sumerian Civilization of Mesopotamia vs. the Aryan Civilization of India.
The Sumerian civilization of Mesopotamia and the Aryan civilization of India have several characteristics in common. First, both civilizations were formed along river banks. The Sumerian was formed on the banks of rivers Euphrates and Tigris, whereas the Aryan civilization established along the banks of Indus River (Archer, 2001; Maisels, 2003). These civilizations settled along river banks because they not only wanted easier access to water, but they also believed that the rivers would flood and make their lands more fertile. Second, both civilizations worshiped multiple gods such as god of fertile and the god of protection in designated places and temples.
The key difference between the two civilizations lies in their cultural and socio-economic characteristics. In comparison to the Sumerian civilization that practiced farming as a primary activity and even invented the wheel, the Aryan civilization of India were largely pastoralists who wandered in the Ganges plains and Deccan plateau (Maisels, 2003). However, they later settled along Indus River where they began growing crops and introduced the use of iron plow in India.
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Early Indian Civilizations |
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The Indus/ Harappan |
The Aryan |
Buddhism |
The Mauryan Dynasty |
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Key geographical features |
Emerged in the Indus River valleys that extend from the Himalaya to the Arabian Sea (Archer, 2001) |
Emerged from the northern India plains near the Hindu Kush mountain and extended into the Ganges plains and Deccan plateau. |
Emerged from the foothills of Himalaya (modern-day Nepal) |
Formed in the Ganges valley at Pataliputra (now Patna) |
References
Archer, J. M. (2001). Old Worlds: Egypt, Southwest Asia, India, and Russia in Early Modern English Writing. Stanford University Press. History.com, H. (2020, February 21). Ancient Egypt. Retrieved from https://www.history.com/topics/ancient-history/anci Maisels, C. K. (2003). Early civilizations of the old world: the formative histories of Egypt, the Levant, Mesopotamia, India and China. Routledge.
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