Mesopotamia vs. Indus River Valley Essay - 707 Words

Mesopotamia vs. Indus River Valley 9/26/12 Ancient Mesopotamia and the Indus River Valley civilization were two incredibly productive and successful empires. While Mesopotamian politics were slightly less focused on religion and more on other aspects, the two societies shared many social characteristics. They both had defined social hierarchies, as well as similar views on gender roles. These traits are helpful in explaining the similarities and differences between the two cultures. One of the key aspects of both Mesopotamia and the Indus River Valley is their distinct social hierarchies. In the Indus River Valley, beginning with the Aryans, a caste social system was used to keep citizens in their†¦show more content†¦They did not have the right to divorce their husbands, and almost all women were uneducated. In Mesopotamia, women were also treated very poorly. They were taught to attend to all of their husband’s needs, and could be punished severely if they did not do as their husband said. In Babylonia, duri ng Hammurabi’s rule, there was even a law that stated that if a woman did not obey her husband or was unfaithful to him in any way, he was legally allowed to throw her in the river, ultimately drowning her. While Mesopotamian and the Indus River Valley were alike in their social characteristics, their political views differed slightly. Records from the Indus civilizations have yet to fully been translated, and therefore not much is known in the way of Indus political structure. What most historians assume is that it was broken into city-states with a common ruler, which is the way that Mesopotamia was governed as well. Despite this similarity, the Indus government was more focused on religious aspects than Mesopotamian government was. This can be deduced by the fact that Indus rulers were always priest-kings, while the highest status in Mesopotamia was achieved first by the king, and then by the priests. These kings were also usually the head of the military, while the priest s ran schools, distributed land, were considered doctors, and were in charge of religion. Kings andShow MoreRelatedHow Do The Neolithic And Paleolithic Revolutions Differ?1657 Words   |  7 Pagesuncivilized has adapted to present a group of â€Å"savages† who are ignorant to the life us civilized people enjoy. This is because the civilized people won. They overpowered the uncivilized so they became better. The controversy exists in the literal meaning vs. the adapted meaning and connotation. 4. According to social scientists, which basic traits emerge when a society becomes civilized? Once a society becomes civilized it tends to naturally form universal traits. This includes agriculture (a necessity)Read MoreThe 5 Hearths Of Civilization2028 Words   |  9 PagesBalagia Dr. Vickery HQT 31 March 2015 Test 1 History Portion 5 Hearths of Civilization The 5 â€Å"hearths of civilization† are the ancient locations where society first developed. The 5 hearths of civilization are: The Indus River Valley, The Nile River Valley, Mesopotamia, The Huang He River Valley, and Mesoamerica. One thing that each of these unique ancient civilizations had in common was that they were all best suited for agriculture. Generally, this is because each group was located near water and theRead MoreThe Indus Valley Civilization ( 3300-1300 Bce ) Essay1799 Words   |  8 PagesIntroduction The Indus Valley Civilization (3300–1300 BCE) was the one among the greatest early civilzation of the Old World alongside the ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia (Wright 2009, Wright 2010), which developed in South Asia along perennially flowing Indus and Ghaggar-Hakra ( also called as Saraswati) river in northwest India and eastern Pakistan (Wright 2010, Giosan 2012, Maemoku 2013). Though least studies so far, emerging archeological studies suggest that the Indus Valley (oftenly called Harappa)Read MoreCatal Hyuk2725 Words   |  11 Pages IDENTITIES: Complex Society Paleolithic Venus Figurines Metallurgy Social Class/Social Structure Lucy Neolithic Lascaux Cave Paintings Neolithic Revolution Agricultural Revolution MAP: Olduvai Gorge Neander Valley Catal Huyluk Lascaux CHAPTER TWO: Early Societies in SW Asia and Indo-European Migrations IDENTITIES: The Epic of Gilgamesh Sargon of Akkad Hammurabi’s Codes/Laws Stele Assyrians Economic Specialization Stratified